Help of a Seer
by Aealket
Summary: When Luna's dad is killed, things change. Post Order of the Phoenix HP/LL
1. Introduction

**Help of a Seer**

** _by Aealket_**

Hey, I disclaim any ownership of Harry Potter and I disclaim all liability. About the only thing I can't disclaim is the bite mark where this rabid plot bunny struck.

This is a straight Harry/Luna fan fiction. Any multiple parings will not involve Harry and Luna.

I have read several stories where Luna is some kind of a Seer. But none of them seem to really take advantage of her abilities, this is my take on a tale where the knowledge is considered vital.

This is rated M because of a short rape scene and a short attempted rape.

**Introduction: **

**Luna has a bad day**

It had been an up and down year for Luna Lovegood. Ever since she had started attending Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry she had been suffering some sort of abuse from the students in her school house of Ravenclaw. That was a down. But starting this year, others had begun to pay attention to her; Luna now actually had a friend or two at school now. This had counted as an up.

However, at the end of her fourth year, she and five other students had been involved in a major fight and, while none of them had died, they had all been hurt. In fact, a couple of them had been hurt badly. That could count as both an up and a down. The students had accepted Luna and had depended on her during the fight (the up), and they were all hurt (the down).

But sadly the one person they went to try and save, someone that Luna had thought was Stubby Boardman, did die. One of Luna's friends, Ginny, had told her that Stubby was actually someone named Sirius, and that he had been the godfather of Harry Potter, who was another of Luna's friends. Stubby's death had hurt Harry badly, which had to count as yet another down.

Now though the school year was over, and Luna was looking forward to spending some quality time with her dad. But when the train had pulled into the station in London he had not been there to meet her, but that wasn't too abnormal. He often had to work late the day she got back. Luna knew that he generally started working extra hard and extra late the week before she got back so that they could spend more time together when she arrived home.

When Luna arrived home, however, the front door to their house was swinging open. Luna found this disturbing; Daddy never left the door open. It was quiet; the presses should have been running to get the paper out that night. A wary Luna pulled her wand from its usual place behind her ear, and she approached the front door of her home more carefully. Hearing nothing, she cast a handy disillusionment spell that she had learned from her friend Harry, and, feeling a sense of dread, she entered the place she had always felt the safest in, her home.

The house was a disaster. And... and... and there was no doubt, her Daddy was dead. Luna found him with his body lying in an un-natural sprawl of limbs next to the door into the kitchen. He had taken several of his attackers with him, as several bodies of people she did not know were also lying around. But despite his efforts, they had gotten him in the end.

As Luna's mind tried to cope, _**it**_ happened. _**It**_ was always going to happen. The seer blood of her mother's line was too strong to be denied. But normally this type of gift did not manifest until a witch was nineteen or twenty. However, seeing her mom die had pushed it a little, and several years of abuse at school had pushed it a little further. Now seeing her Daddy lying in such an un-natural position, never to hold her, or to whisper his stupid pet names to her again, pushed her gift or, depending on whom you talked to, her curse too far.

Luna fell to the ground, not in grief, but in shock, as her seer's gift of seeing the different possible futures manifested itself in a body and mind that was not prepared. For over an hour the young girl sat unnaturally still, not looking at her Daddy's body but rather watching with her mind's eye the different events that led to his death, and the different events that could help or hurt the future.

One path seemed to hold the least death, but it would mean that she, Luna Lovegood, would need to take a more active role; something she would find hard to do. She preferred to stay in the background, where she could be ignored, or even ridiculed. But if she took that path, there would be no turning from it, and once started, there were very few places it could be modified. On that path, her future seemed to end.

A seer could not see her own death and beyond a certain point, she could 'see' nothing. But Luna could 'see' far enough. Voldemort and the Death Eaters would be defeated; the magical world of England would start to become a better place; and it appeared that whatever event that caused her to stop seeing would be the beginning of the end of that cancer named Dumbledore. Luna would need to ask Harry when next she saw him why she always 'saw' Harry calling the Dark Lord 'Tom'. Luna had never heard the phrase 'doing what is right instead of what is easy', but she could and would make the right decision, even if it meant that her own life was the cost.

Luna shook herself from the semi-trance she had fallen into, and took stock of both herself and what needed to happen to start following the path of the least innocent deaths, but not the path of least resistance. That path would lead to too many deaths, and Daddy's death would come to mean nothing then.

Now though, there was much to do, and very little time in which to do it. Ginny would be by some time tomorrow, and Luna needed to be well away by then, with her tracks covered. Luna stood, and, after stretching her stiffened body, she started gathering the books she needed. A special transfiguration later, and a body of Luna Lovegood lay beside her forever stilled father.

It was nearly dawn when Luna left her old home for the last time. She had what she wanted: pictures, trinkets, things that only she thought were worthwhile; things that held special memories; and the books that held the key to a better future. A quick spell to light an oily rag, and the house was quickly consumed in flames. Luna was well away before any of the neighbors could get to the smoking ruin that was left of the once unique place.


	2. Chapter 1: A Seer Helps

**Chapter 1: A Seer Helps **

**Harry makes a choice**

It was a week since the school term had ended. Just over a week since Harry, together with five of his friends, had seen his godfather, Sirius Black, die at the hands of a Death Eater in the Ministry of Magic. Harry had thought he had been going to save Sirius; instead he now believed that he had led Sirius to his death.

And Sirius' death had occurred because of a prophecy. A prophecy that his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had told Harry claimed that Harry had to kill or be killed by the dark wizard Voldemort. A prophecy that a bitter and disillusioned Harry wished he'd never heard.

Kicking the wardrobe in front of him, Harry dropped down onto his bed. Right now he so very badly needed to talk to someone about what had happened, but he had no-one. It had been a week, and not one of his so-called friends had contacted him. To make matters even worse, there seemed to be a guard watching him. The one time his aunt had sent him out of the house to get some eggs, an invisible voice had complained that Harry should not have left the house. Being told it was get the eggs or get a beating had only shut the guard up for a block.

Harry was roused from his dark funk by a sound at the window. Getting up and quickly opening the window, Harry was surprised when not one but two owls flew into his room from the dark of the approaching night.

Hedwig had been left at Hogwarts since that arse of a headmaster had claimed it was too dangerous for Harry to keep Hedwig. Yet here she was, flying not to her perch, but rather to his shoulder, where the two of them spent several minutes enjoying the fact they were together again.

A quiet hoot brought Harry out of his reverie, and he focused his attention on the second owl. This owl was not one Harry recognized, although there were some characteristics that half-reminded Harry of one of his friends. The owl was paler than most, but 'she' was not a snowy owl like Hedwig.

Seeing that there was a small package tied to the owl, Harry retrieved the package, before making a quick trip to the loo for some water, and then filling the tray on the perch with some owl treats. Both owls seemed to hoot, or bark in Hedwig's case, a thank you and settled on the perch. That was unusual; Hedwig did not generally like to share her perch.

Turning to the package, Harry found a folded cloth bag and two letters. One was marked "Read Me First"; the other was labeled "Not this one". Confused, Harry opened the correct letter in the sequence to read it.

_Dear Harry:_

_I know a way to help you. But to help you get out from under the old goat of a headmaster, I need you to trust me. No, I cannot tell you who I am until after you decide. Actually it will be several days before you will know who I am, but I will be with you in a very unusual manner. If you can take the leap of faith to trust me, there are several things you will need to do:_

_1) Take anything you value and put it into the bag, your wand included. The bag is charmed and will shrink and featherweight anything you try to put in to it. Please then tie it to Hedwig._

_2) The second envelope has a letter for your family, which needs to be left on the kitchen table tonight while your relatives sleep. _

_3) Open the window so all the owls may exit._

_4) Also, in the second envelope, is a wax medallion. Wear it tonight when the clock strikes midnight and you will see how we will be able to fly from this most unpleasant of locations._

_5) I really recommend that you be wearing as little clothing as possible when the clock strikes twelve. The clothes won't be coming with you, and can be hard to get out of later._

_If you are not wearing the medallion at midnight, I will know you are not the trusting sort. I will not be able to make this offer again. It is tonight, or not at all._

_I am learning who you are; will you be willing to learn who I am?_

_PS. Why is it you always call You-Know-Who Tom?_

There was no signature at the end of the strange letter. Harry sat down and gestured Hedwig to him as he thought about his options. Sometimes he thought out loud to his owl, but mostly he kept his thoughts to himself, as he did now. Looking down at the letter in his hand, Harry debated whether to take up the offer it had made. Harry hated living with his relatives, and this letter was a chance to escape that, even if it was a trap.

In the end, Harry decided to take that leap of faith, and the second letter was placed on the kitchen table. All of the things Harry didn't want to leave, like the album with the pictures of his parents and his father's cloak, were slipped with his wand into the bag that had arrived with the owls. Finally, at 11:55pm, Harry put on the strangely shaped medallion, wondering if it was a portkey of some kind. As his room's clock showed midnight, a strange feeling came over Harry, and as he lost consciousness, he wondered if he had handed himself over to his enemies.

**What Happened to Harry?**

The summer was usually a time when Albus Dumbledore could spend some downtime recharging from his often stressful job of balancing being the headmaster of a magical school and the leading of one Harry Potter to his pre-ordained fate. But this summer had not started well.

The first day after the students had left, the Weasley matriarch had called in a panic. The Lovegood place had burned to the ground with several bodies inside. Albus had never really cared for the Lovegoods; they had always refused to follow his lead. But the young Miss Lovegood had started a friendship with Harry, and her death on top of Sirius' recent demise would upset Harry even more. Now Albus feared that it would likely be well into the next school year before Harry would start to follow the correct path, for The Greater Good, of course.

When he had first learned about the Lovegoods' deaths, Albus had thought that it had been a good thing that he had strongly suggested that none of Harry's friends write to him. It had meant that Harry would not find out about Miss Lovegood until he had recovered a little more from the death of Sirius. But then Harry himself had disappeared, along with his relatives, the Dursleys.

A letter had been found that had told the Dursleys that Harry was leaving and, that in order to keep themselves safe, it would be wise for them to run very far away. The letter had been printed with a press or using a muggle writertyper thing, so there was no way to compare the handwriting. And the way the words had been put together did not match the way Harry would have composed it, indicating that Harry had not been the one to write it. The letter had also been correct: two days after Harry, and then his relatives, had disappeared, the house at number 4 Privet Drive had been attacked and then burned to the ground by unknown assailants. Albus believed that the arsonists had been Death Eaters, but he could not explain why the dark mark had not been raised.

At the end of the school year, young Harry, in a fit of childish rage at his godfather's death (again, Sirius' death had been for The Greater Good), had destroyed the tracking devices Albus had created to keep track of young mister Potter. Albus had managed to get a couple of the instruments that followed Harry fixed, but they now showed no Harry. It was as if the instruments indicated that Harry did not exist, but they also did not show he was dead. It was quite a puzzle. What had happened to Harry?

**Owl Flight**

Harry was finally enjoying himself for the first time since Sirius' death. He was flying! He had no real responsibilities! And he had Hedwig at his side looking out for him. Of course, flying under his own power was very different from flying on a broom. The air beneath his wings and the wind against his face were very different sensations than the ones he had felt on a broomstick. He was an owl, not a snowy owl unfortunately, but still an owl.

After placing the medallion around his neck and passing out, it had been quite a surprise when Harry came to and discovered that the room was so much larger, or rather that he was so much smaller, and instead of wearing a robe, he was wearing feathers. In fact, he had had to fight free of the robe, and was glad he had taken the letter's advice about wearing a minimum of clothing. Even Dudley-sized clothing would be difficult to squirm free from if you combined trousers, trainers, and a shirt.

Hedwig had been quite surprised but had taken to the new Harry pretty quickly. The unfamiliar owl had shown no surprise at all, and after he and Hedwig had become acquainted as owls, she had put the rest of the great escape plan in motion. Harry quickly discovered that he not only looked like an owl, but he also seemed to have some of the instincts that went with his new body.

Before long, the three owls were flying out of the window of number four and flapping to the roof of number six. Then they flew across the street to the roof of number five. And so on and so forth, each flight a little longer until Harry started to feel comfortable with his feathers and talents.

They had flown maybe five to ten miles in a North-Easterly direction (as an owl flies) when they arrived at a large tree where the unfamiliar owl landed on a strange box. The box was just large enough for three owls, and it had water and Hedwig's favorite bacon. It also had a simple door that either the other owl or Harry could operate. Hedwig seemed willing to learn but did not get the hang of it before Harry fell asleep wondering if he would still be an owl when he awoke.

That first full night after his escape they broke their trip into three sections. At each 'rest stop' there would be one of the boxes that contained food and water, and offered shelter. The next night, Harry's arms/wings had been sore from the constant use flying required, and that night's flight had been broken with four rests. The night after that, they had stopped to rest three times again, and since then they had only stopped once per night. That had been several days ago, and Harry was still an owl.

Nice weather had followed them on their journey; they had not been delayed even once by rain. With each night they flew further, and it seemed they were flying faster now as well. But however far or fast they flew, there would always be one of those wonderful boxes where they could stop for the day.

This evening they had left from outside of a little place called Ulceby, and had crossed a large body of water, before skirting a large town and then hugging some hills for most of the night. They had then turned up a ravine, and were now currently flying towards a large tree again. However, the area around the tree seemed, well … different, almost as though it should not look as normal as it did. But there was a box, and while it was not dawn yet, Harry knew better than to argue with the owl that had led this escape and had navigated their little flock to this tree. Her beak was sharp and, while she did not often correct him, Harry did not go looking for corrections either.

Rather than entering the box, Hedwig intercepted Harry and continued the hunting lessons they had started that third night. Teaching Harry how to hunt as an owl was a slow and painful process. Painful, since Harry had to do things like dive towards his prey, and on more than one attempt he had managed crash into the ground well short of the mouse, and slow because Harry had never needed to coordinate so many different parts at same time.

Finding prey was not too hard between the night vision and great hearing Harry now had. The takeoff needed to be silent, and Harry no longer found that too difficult. However, the diving at prey feet first was very hard to master. But even with using wing corrections, which were necessary due to wind or movement of the prey, and with night vision, Harry was still zeroing in mostly based on sound; which was a strange feeling for a generally sight-dependant human named Harry Potter. Still, since they had stopped traveling a bit earlier than usual, Hedwig was planning to get some more hunting practice in before dawn.

It was just after dawn when the great, or at least successful, hunter, Harry Owl, landed just outside the shelter box. This box, unlike the others, seemed to be mounted directly into the trunk, so Harry waited just a bit to see what their leading owl would do. That owl surprised Harry by gently landing next to him and butting heads with him in what Harry hoped was congratulations on his first successful hunt. Then the owl hooted to Hedwig, and led the way into the box, and in a very surprise move, out the other side.

It had to be some kind of protective magic, it had to be. When Harry followed the leader out the other side, he found himself perched in a different type of tree altogether. Instead of a thicket of trees growing on a hill, Harry found himself facing a small field although there was still a hill.

The three owls flew in the brightening dawn towards another large tree, still on the edge of this newly found field. Again, this tree had one of the owl sized shelter boxes, and again it was mounted into the tree. But at least when they exited out of this box, they appeared to be in the same tree they had started out in. The leading owl then flew down and landed on a large flat rock, before turning and hooting at Harry to follow. They did not speak owl, but over the last several days of flying together some simple signals had been established. And the firm hoot was certainly the call for Harry by himself. With a quick flap of his wings and then a slow glide, Harry joined…What?

As Harry landed, the owl began to stretch and change, changing into a, or rather changing into someone. As Harry watched, the owl that had helped him escape turned in Luna Lovegood; a very naked Luna Lovegood. Before he could do more than just comprehend that Luna was without a stitch of clothing, Harry felt a strange pulling and stretching of his own body. A few uncomfortable moments later, Harry found himself a human again, and just as naked as his unusual friend. And he had the beginning of a very normal teenaged boy's reaction to the sight of an unclothed female of the species.

**The Lovegood Reserve**

As Luna reflected on their current position, Luna decided she was very pleased with Harry. He had taken the leap of faith as she had hoped he would, and they had now started down the correct path. Luna decided that Harry had made a very pleasant kind of owl, and he had not complained at the long flights she and Hedwig had pressed on him. Now here he was outside her family's reserve, standing tall as a human again, albeit naked and looking somewhat embarrassed.

Luna herself was not body shy. She and her dad, and, when she had been alive, her mom, had spent quite a bit of time in various stages of undress since some of the rituals they had performed as a family had required a lack of clothing. But this was the first time a young man had seen her thusly, and despite his discomfort, this young man seemed to be enjoying what he was seeing. At least Luna hoped that that was what the rather obvious changes to Harry's body meant. She knew she was not developing large breasts, and was happy about that after listening to some of the older female Ravenclaws' complaints about the lack of comfortable support. But listening to the male Ravenclaws had seemed to indicate that they really liked to observe larger chests, not smaller ones like her own.

"Hello, Harry Potter." Luna broke the silence between them and managed to get Harry to glance up to her eyes. "Can you please tell me why you always seem to call You-Know-Who Tom?

Harry shook his head. Luna hoped it was to clear it of any wrackspurts, as, in a very hesitant voice, Harry tried to answer her question. "Before, before he was known as Voldemort, he was named Tom Riddle." Harry was looking quite cute as he blushed, and looked for something to cover himself up with.

Luna tried to make him a little more at ease. "You don't need to worry, Harry Potter. I'm not angry with you for looking at me, especially since most boys wouldn't consider me worth looking at."

"Then they're wrong. I, um, think that you are really quite pretty," Harry gallantly replied while still trying to hide his body's reaction.

Luna just had to giggle a bit at Harry's attempt at flattery; she particularly appreciated that he had called her pretty. The giggles proved to be a mistake as Harry's focus returned to her body, and that was followed by a vacant stare.

Seeing the blank look, and feeling a bit empowered by her ability to empty his mind, Luna picked up her wand from where she had left it beside the Finite Incantatem stone she had set up. A quick _Finite__Incantatem_ of her own and the disillusionment charm she had cast was dispelled, leaving a weatherproofed package, including two bath robes.

After opening the package, and slipping on the smaller of the robes, Luna picked up the larger of the robes and helped Harry to put it on. It took a couple of moments, but it appeared that intelligence was beginning to seep back into Harry's face, so Luna called Hedwig to retrieve Harry's wand from the snowy owl. Luna also made sure to praise Hedwig on her ability to teach Harry how to deal with his time as an owl.

This praise for Hedwig stopped quite suddenly when Luna was picked up from behind and spun around to face a very animated Harry Potter, causing Hedwig to awkwardly take flight. "Luna! You are simply amazing! You got me out of that place, and I have had the best week in like forever! Thank you!" Harry gushed at her. Then he surprised her again by wrapping her in a very tight hug.

When Harry released her and stepped away, it appeared that he feared she would dislike that he had taken such liberties with her as he began to apologize. "Luna, I am sorry. I didn't mean to assault you like that. It's just that it suddenly struck me that you had gotten me away from that place."

Far from disapproving, Luna was pretty sure she was going to see if she could get Harry Potter to do a bit more 'assaulting' as he called it. But that could come later; they were still outside and the good weather that had followed them from Number 4 was threatening to break into a rain shower. "Harry Potter, did you enjoy hugging me?" she asked.

"Um, yes I did," Harry responded, still with a worried look on his face.

"Good, while I did not expect it, I find I liked it quite well," Luna responded. "I am not mad at you. We do need to get under shelter, however, and we need to get those traces you're carrying removed, so we can keep you from going back."

"Traces? Dumbledore put some magical traces on me?" Harry started towards anger, then paused, and looked around with a worried or scared expression on his face. "How long until he finds me here?"

Not a good look on the young man, Luna decided. She much rather liked the gushing happy Harry instead, or the stupefied Harry that liked her unremarkable body. Darn, she would need to see about checking herself for some of those wrackspurts, they really were making her mind wander places she had not intended it to go.

Luna took a step towards Harry, gave him his wand, and then grabbing his hand, she whistled to Hedwig, and began walking across the field to the hillside. "You have at least five traces on you, Harry, although only one of them appears to be actually active. But you don't need to worry about our senile headmaster. He could not trace Harry the owl, because the traces were on Harry the person. We are currently under two levels of powerful wards. We need to remove the traces so you will be able to leave this place and not be found, and not because we can expect unpleasant visitors here if we don't remove them."

Luna continued towards her destination while Harry seemed to absorb the information she had just given him.

"Two layers of wards?" Harry ventured. "We went through two different tree trunks. Is there a connection there?"

"Very good, Harry Potter," Luna said approvingly. "The Lovegood family put up the wards anchored by that first tree in the late sixteenth century. The wards anchored by the second tree have been in place for a much, much longer time. The second wards were not human made, which makes finding them that much harder."

"Um, not human, Luna?"

"Harry, you are about to be the first non-Lovegood human by either marriage or birth to enter the Lovegood Reserve. Before my ancestors received this place as a gift, it was a place sometimes called a fairy mound. The first wards were put up by the original owners of this place, the Sidhe. After one of my honored ancestors saved some of the Sidhe from a death of cold iron, the Lovegoods received the secrets of this mound, as the Sidhe that lived here were going to move on toward Ireland. As the land became more populated, a Lovegood witch and her powerful wizard husband put up the second layer of wards to further protect our treasured hiding place."

Her companion had stopped paying attention to where they were walking with her last comment and seemed to be thinking very hard. Luna did not mind at all since Harry had not pulled away, or denied it was impossible. Even though Harry was seemingly unaware of his surroundings, Luna was. The field they were crossing was not overly large, and Luna had crossed this span many times and was therefore able to guide Harry. Due to his inattention, she had been able to slip her arm around his waist, something Luna rather liked.

This need of physical contact from her friend was new though, and she would need to think about it later.

Right now, Luna had other things on her mind that involved Harry. Even though she was not exactly sure what was going to happen, Luna knew that sometime soon Harry would be slightly hurt in some manner. However, she was unable to 'see' anything directly involving herself. But Luna knew that Harry would be waking up alone in a couple of days with bandages around his head. She had seen it, and for some reason it was very important.

"Luna?" Harry ventured as they grew close to what she knew was the entrance. "I think I can see why you would keep such a thing secret, but why are you taking me there? Won't your dad be upset?"

"Daddy…" Luna's voice was not as steady as she would like. "Daddy was killed the day before we left Hogwarts. I am the last Lovegood, so if I want to use the family Reserve to hide us while we fight Daddy's killers…Well it is my decision."

They reached the hill as she said that, but before she could open the hill, Harry started and jerked, and before she could ask what was wrong, Luna again found herself in a tight hug. It was different, this hug, and she could almost feel her friend as he sorrowed for her. No, not for her, he was sorrowing with her. And it made a difference. The tears she had shed during those nights alone, while working to prepare, they had been needed. But the comfort of human touch was much more important. Luna surrendered herself to the joy of having a friend, and the comfort of a friend who could understand loss. Even Hedwig gave comforting sounds as she landed on Harry's shoulder.

How long they stayed like that Luna was not sure, but she regretfully broke their hug when the rumble of distant thunder could be heard.

"Harry, I…" She started, then shook her head and continued. "I needed that. Thank you."

"Actually, I think I needed it too," came the soft response. Luna looked up to find Harry Potter was not looking directly at her, but rather into the distance. "I am sorry about your dad, but as the hug went on, I found I was mourning Sirius as much as your loss."

Another rumble of thunder made Harry glance up towards the heavy rain-filled clouds, and he grimaced. "We really do need to get under shelter and soon."

"Actually, Harry, we are here," Luna announced as she put her hand right on the stone that was just about waist level. She then watched Harry to see his reaction. She had seen the ground fall away leaving a tunnel several times, and she never got tired of watching a magic to which she had no connection, but this time she was sharing it. Harry's reaction to it could change how they proceeded.

Harry's expression looked to be a cross between shell-shocked and amazed, and Luna was sure that if the first rain drops had not started falling, he would have liked to have seen it close and then open again. As another rumble of thunder rolled over them, much closer this time, Harry glanced at her and motioned her ahead.

"It is your place, Luna, you will need to lead," Harry said. The two of them walked quickly into the entrance with Hedwig still perched on Harry's shoulder. As the entrance closed behind them, they could hear the beating sound of a heavy rain starting.

**Traces and Headaches**

Light, Harry thought in amazement. Of all the things he had expected, to be able to see in this hole in the ground was not one of them, and yet he could see Luna quite easily. He could see no source for this light, it just existed. Harry was interrupted from his visual exploration of the cave when a soft hand slipped into his own hand. Turning, he found his unusual friend was watching him. "I'm sorry, Luna," he started. "I didn't mean to ignore you. This place though, it is very… well different is the only way I can describe it".

"You will have time to study it, Harry," Luna replied to his unvoiced question. "I expect we won't be leaving this place for a couple of weeks. You will need to heal, and we both will need to spend some time planning and training."

Heal? He felt fine, even wonderful. "What healing, Luna? I haven't felt this good in a long time." To his surprise and secret enjoyment, Luna shook her head sharply, causing her robe to open a bit, thus uncovering the secrets those darn Hogwarts robes kept hidden. Harry knew that Luna was never going to be described as top heavy, or even full busted, but Harry could not deny that she had, as far as he was concerned, perfect, if somewhat small, breasts. Harry was glad he was wearing the robe when those delightful mounds swayed from side to side in response to Luna's shaking of her head as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Luna said, as she absently re-arranged her robe, thus again hiding her delightful assets. "I'm still getting used to seeing, and sometimes I get my present and future tenses mixed up."

Harry was sure he had heard that correctly, but the words did not make sense. As his newly discovered favorite set of real breasts was covered again, he could not blame the lack of sense on his brain being stupefied. So he queried his friend on why she was talking nonsense. "Huh?"

Luna looked up and gave him a smile unlike any he had seen from his friend before. "I will explain, Harry. I promise, I will explain, but let's get those traces off you, and see about settling in."

Luna took his hand and led them down the tunnel taking the left branch whenever a choice appeared. After the sixth left hand turn in a row, Harry just had to comment on it. "Huh, Luna? I'm pretty sure you must know what you are doing, but aren't we going in circles, and not really going anywhere?"

"Widdershins, Harry. You must remember this, when entering or leaving the Reserve, always go widdershins." Luna smiled up at him while she said this, and Harry made the discovery that as good looking as Luna was unclothed, when she really smiled, she looked even better.

But what she had said didn't quite make sense again, so he just had to verify what he was hearing. "Ok, widdershins or left, to enter, but shouldn't that mean that you should turn to the right to exit?"

The two of them came to a fork in the path with three branches. This time Luna took the one that led them straight on as she answered. "No, always turn widdershins. Before you mention it, I went straight this time because this dead end path is where we are going to remove those traces."

True to her words, the tunnel opened up into a large room. The middle of the room contained a couple of mattresses lying on either side of an oddly glowing, freestanding archway that appeared to be covered with runes. Luna led him to that archway, and turned not to Harry but rather to Hedwig who had been perched on Harry's shoulder ever since they had entered that tunnel entrance.

"Hedwig, I think you have a trace or two also," Luna said to the snowy owl. "I want to take you through the cleansing arch as well. Would you mind terribly if I carried you through? We know Harry has some traces, and I don't want to overextend the arch if I can help it."

Harry thought that he knew his owl pretty well, but his jaw went slack with shock when Hedwig gave a gentle bark and with a flap of her wings transferred to Luna's shoulder from his.

Luna smiled up at the owl, and said, "Thank you." Then, crossing to the closest mattress, she cautiously walked onto it and then through the archway. Once Luna and Hedwig had crossed through, Harry's jaw fell open again as, suspended in the archway where Hedwig had passed through, there were now two colored balls of light: an attractive light blue ball the size of a golf ball where Hedwig's head had passed through, and a pale pink ball that was much smaller below the larger ball.

"Hmm," Luna said as she and Hedwig turned and stared at the charms. "A tracking charm, yes, but also a fairly major charm that looks like it will re-direct Hedwig… Harry, if no-one has been answering your letters, it might not be their fault. Hedwig may have been charmed to deliver your notes somewhere else."

Luna turned her head to look at the owl still on her shoulder. "That didn't hurt you any, Hedwig, did it?" At the owl's quiet bark, Luna said, "Good, I am glad. I didn't know you had two charms and that re-direction charm is a pretty big charm to be removed from an owl your size." Luna carefully stepped off the mattress, and returned to where Harry was standing. Then pulling out her wand she cast a _Finite__Incantatem_on each of the spells that were stuck in the archway causing them to shrink and then disappear.

"Your turn, Harry. Just step through the archway, and any foreign magic should be left behind. It works best if you cross through the center, and before you go, I will need that robe," Luna said to Harry while putting her wand back in its usual place.

"What? Why? You didn't take your robe off!" Harry exclaimed, any leftover reaction to Luna's unintentional baring of her breasts quickly shriveling in fear.

"I was not the one with the foreign magic to be cleansed, Harry," Luna replied quietly. "There is no need to be so shy, Harry, I have seen you once already today."

"But Luna! I…I…I'm not used to being seen naked. I…I…" Harry's stuttering came to a halt as Luna crossed over to where he was standing, and slipped one of her hands into his.

"It's okay, Harry Potter. You have nothing to fear, or to be ashamed of. Your being unclothed is not something to worry about, and we really do need to get those traces out of you. The robe you are wearing would be torn and shredded by the magic as it leaves your body leaving you with even less to cover yourself than what you have now," Luna calmly explained.

Harry was sure he was blushing a red that would have put Ron to shame, but this friend, the one friend that had gotten him way from the headmaster needed him to do this. Swallowing hard and gathering his courage, Harry took off his robe and handed it Luna.

When she made no comment, but only took the robe and smiled up at him, Harry turned away from Luna and repeated the same movements she had just performed. Taking one more deep breath, he stepped through the archway.

"OOOOOOWWWWWW!" Harry screamed as his head and his scar exploded in pain. The back of his head was prevented from crossing through the arch, and Harry was sure it was because someone was trying to punch their way out of his head through the back of his skull.

"HARRY! TURN AROUND!" screamed Luna, and as Harry turned his head the pain followed the direction of his turn, until it was centered over his scar. With a plopping sound, Harry's scar opened up allowing the pain to exit his head. Harry's last sight was of a black ugly mass streaming from his forehead as he fell down against the mattress.


	3. Chapter 2: Explanations and Preparations

**Chapter 2: Explanations and Preparations**

**Black Magic Discovered**

Luna stared in shock at the black mass of magic that had been pulled from her now unconscious friend. The five traces she had expected were also stuck in the archway's field, along with two charms of some kind. But this additional black magic had not been expected, and what was worse, it seemed to be alive. Inky tentacles were whipping around searching, Luna surmised, for a new host. No simple Finite Incantatemwas going to get rid of this, this, whatever it was.

As she watched, the tentacles found the traces and charms also captured by the field, the tentacles wrapping around the traces and pulling them up to the main mass before appearing to eat them.

First things first, Luna thought. She needed to get Harry's body far enough away from the magic so that it could not re-attach itself to her friend. Luna moved cautiously, making sure that she kept a wide birth from the tentacles. She also prevented Hedwig from flying at and attacking the thing. Once positioned correctly, Luna grabbed one of Harry's out-flung hands and pulled.

Harry was not light, and being deadweight didn't help, but Luna did not want to cast any spell in the vicinity of that seemingly living mass of black. She felt sure the casting of any magic would attract its attention. Fortunately Luna was no weakling, and it took only a few minutes before Harry had been pulled to what appeared to be far enough away from the seeking tentacles.

From there, Luna was able to safely levitate her fallen friend and exit the cavern. Once outside the chamber, she called to Hedwig and gave a twist of a special stone. Luna and Hedwig watched the entryway to the chamber close, hopefully sealing the mass inside.

Luna then checked Harry a little more carefully. Other than the blood on his forehead where his trademark lightning bolt scar had burst open, her friend seemed to be unhurt. A quick spell to seal up the scar and then Luna needed to re-apply the levitation spell. Wishing she had learned the Mobilicorpus spell, she continued to pull her levitated friend towards her house.

**An interlude with scenes from elsewhere**

Albus Dumbledore quickly returned to his office after one of the Hogwarts' house elves reported that something had 'goed boomed' in his office. Walking in, he discovered that the house elf had been right, and that his office was a total disaster. Several bookcases showed signs of fire, which should have been impossible under the fabled wards of Hogwarts. But there could be no denying the scorch marks, and books had been thrown half-burnt from their shelves. Not just one, but all of the doodads and instruments that had been tracking Harry Potter were gone. They were not melted, not broken, not bent, they were gone, and based on the way the scorch marks radiated from that shelf, the 'boomed' had happened on that shelf.

Fawkes was found on the floor and in pain, causing the headmaster some concern. It would be weeks, if not months before the phoenix would be able to fly again.

"Harry? Whatever did you do, Harry?" Albus thought as he worked at healing his companion.

- - (()) - -

_'A Horcrux is: 'the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality'._ Luna stared at the entry in one of her Mother's old books in shock, and she glanced over to where Harry was safely tucked up in a big soft bed with bandages wrapped around his head. Luna had already placed several potions on the nightstand nearby, ready for when Harry woke up.

After seeing to Harry, Luna had then started her research on the black magic that had been pulled from her friend. The fact that the mass had moved and had seemed to feed on other magic, had led her to a book on soul magic, and that book had led her to this entry. She figured that it was going to take a special kind of spell to kill that bit of Tom's soul; it had not taken a huge stretch to guess where that soul fragment had come from. Luna put down her current book and picked up the oldest book from the Lovegood collection. She had some major research to do before Harry woke up.

**- - **(())** - -**

Hermione Granger was feeling a bit unsettled. She had been asked by her headmaster not to communicate with her friend Harry Potter, but she had expected a letter or note from him. Then Professor Lupin had dropped by to see if Harry had been around. It seemed he had run away from the Dursleys and was now missing, and had been missing for nearly a week now. Hermione had promised to notify someone if Harry contacted her in any way. As she sat in her bedroom she had to ask her unresponsive walls, 'Harry, what have you done this time? And where are you?'

**Waking Up**

Harry Potter knew something was different as he slowly became aware. He had been unconscious enough times he could recognize the feeling, except, this time, he was in a comfortable bed. The previous times when he had awoken, he had been in the infirmary at Hogwarts, and while the beds weren't horrid, they also weren't great.

Harry also felt better than he should after being unconscious. His scar was hurting a bit, but not as much as it had been. He couldn't remember any dreams or visions from Voldemort, and for whatever reason, he felt, well, cleaner. Another difference was that he was lying on his back and when he tried to open his eyes, he found something was blocking his vision. Reaching up, he found two slightly damp pads resting on his eyes, but since nothing was holding them in place, Harry was able to easily remove them.

As Harry blinked at the light in this room and looked around, he discovered three things: First, he was in a large bed, a large comfortable bed. Second, next to the bed he found a nightstand that had several different potions, labeled one, two, three four etc. Third, he could see! He could see without his glasses on his face. Harry therefore spent a couple of minutes just looking around, savoring his newfound ability.

Harry then threw the covers off, and swinging his legs out of the bed, he sat up. Looking a little more closely at the nightstand, Harry found his now now-unnecessary glasses and a note, along with vials of different colored potions.

As Harry took additional stock of himself, he found he was wearing a loose nightshirt of midnight blue. Picking up the note, Harry started to read.

_Harry: _

_You gave me quite a scare. Did you know you were carrying a piece of Tom's soul in your head? But don't worry. I'm going to teach you how to destroy Tom's soul bit._

No, Harry had not known he carried a piece of Tommy around. The Headmaster had only said there was connection; not that the connection was a part of Voldemort's soul. Harry was relieved, however, that Luna seemed to have some idea of how to deal with it. He then continued reading_._

_Now that you are awake, you should take the five potions that are sitting on the table. _

_The first potion should finish the repairing of your eyes. Before you ask, it would not have worked while Tom's soul was housed in your head. The second potion will continue masking the pain you should be feeling after having the soul bit removed without the proper preparation. The third and fourth potions will help your head and scar heal. Take the last potion in the loo (first door to the right after you leave this room). It will counter the simple spell I cast to prevent you from waking early with the need to relieve yourself. _

_Afterwards, get dressed, and then come looking for me. I should be seeing outside under the big tree. I am waiting for you._

_Luna_

Harry figured his slightly strange friend couldn't write a sensible note if she tried. What did she mean by saying she would be seeing under the big tree? But she had known how to turn Harry into an owl; she had known where to put those sheltering boxes; and she had planned an excellent escape. So he could trust her with the potions. Harry took the first four potions and carried the fifth into the loo.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Harry could see that his head was wrapped with a bandage, a bandage so comfortable he had not even noticed it earlier. After cleaning himself up a bit, Harry took the fifth potion, and was immediately grateful he had followed the note's suggestion and had not taken the potion in the bedroom.

Once the flood had subsided, Harry returned to the bedroom and found his wand next to another note and a couple of squares of fabric.

_Harry, _

_At the bottom of this letter is a spell you can use to adjust the size of the clothes you will find in the closet. Be sure to practice on the provided squares. It takes a bit of practice before you learn how to stop the fabric from shrinking correctly._

_Luna_

Harry cringed at the thought his pants shrinking while still on him, and studied the spell closely. After a bit of practice though, he was able to adjust a pair of pants and a loose shirt to exactly the correct size, and feeling better about how he looked, Harry looked for a door out of the house.

Different! Again, that was the only way to describe where he was. Light seemed to come from everywhere, and there were plants and even some animals roaming around. But the biggest difference was the horizon. There wasn't one, or rather it didn't look at all like the horizon he was used to seeing; it looked as if the ground was rising instead of curving downwards. With his newly corrected vision, Harry could see what looked like a series of boulders in the distance, but Harry was looking upwards to see them. The house he had exited looked like a very normal kind of large four story house, which made it look totally incongruous in this place.

Several meters off, Harry could see a large tree of a type he could not identify, and under that tree sat Luna. Harry trotted over and then stopped. His friend was unnaturally still, and, while her eyes were open, she had not made any signs that she could see him, even though he was standing directly in front of her. Looking a little closer, Harry could see a slight rise and fall of Luna's chest, so she was breathing, even if it was shallow.

Her note had requested he come find her, and based on how accurate all of Luna's other notes and letters had been, Harry decided he should interrupt this light trance. Harry sat down beside his unusual friend, and taking her hand in his, he quietly called her name, "Luna."

The response from his friend was immediate, Luna bucked, nearly pulling her hand from his. Then she took a gasping breath and in a surprise move she turned into his side and threw an arm around his waist and squeezed.

"Harry! Oh, thank you, Harry, I had become lost and couldn't find my way back to here from then."

Harry savored the feel of a hug from a friend as he wrapped his own arms around Luna. It was a hug he hadn't expected, and the fact that a young lady was the one hugging him, made him feel both better and a bit guilty as he savored the extra sensations against his chest provided by her chest. Still, he was not in the habit of feeling stupid, and yet again his rescuer was confusing him with her speech. This wasn't the same kind of speech, like at school where Luna would go on about different animals that Hermione were sure did not exist. Luna was using small words, but for some reason the syntax just didn't make sense.

"Ahem, um, you're welcome? Luna? ... Thank you for the potions and I don't know how to thank you for fixing my eyes. But, I think I am missing something. 'Finding your way back to here from then?' and you said something about seeing and getting your tenses mixed up."

The blonde in his arms sighed and relaxed into his hug. "This is very nice, Harry Potter. I could become very used to being held by you." Then Luna took a deep breath and started speaking again.

"You're welcome Harry, and I'm glad your eyes are much better now." Harry was nearly distracted when Luna took another deep breath. "You are right, of course, I did promise to tell you what I will be meaning, or rather what I meant. Oomph! I'm doing it again. Please let me up, Harry, as while this is very comfortable, I need to be able to think more clearly."

Harry released his part of the hug and helped Luna sit up, and the two of them turned slightly towards each other while still leaning against the tree trunk as Luna started speaking again.

"Thank you, Harry. Let me explain why I am not able to make as much sense as I should. I became a seer the day after school ended. It wasn't planned, and this kind of seeing normally doesn't happen to witches until they are several years older. But when I saw my Daddy… my Daddy's body at home… well my inner eyes were opened."

"From what little I remember from those useless classes in Divination, it takes at least a couple of years to train for such a curse, um, gift," Harry interjected as he gathered Luna into another hug. All thoughts of paying attention to her body pressing against his were ignored as he again mourned with his friend.

"Harry? Please don't let go!" came a quiet sniffle from the now grieving girl.

"No worries there, Luna, you helped me escape, so I'll hold you through some of your grief. It's what friends do for each other."

Harry adjusted Luna a bit so they were more comfortable and held her, while murmuring gentle nothings as Luna cried.

- - (()) - -

"…It's what friends do for each other," Even as Luna 'Loony' Lovegood mourned her lost life, and the lost lives of her parents, she was thrilled that she had a friend. A friend that was holding her and was cooing in her ear and telling her that he was here for her; that life would go on; and reminding her that they could hear the voices from the veil, and that they would be waiting for her, still loving her from the other side. All the while her friend did these things, he continued holding her like it was not a problem. It was just like he wanted to hold her. In a heart that had known very little but rejection and abuse from her peers for far too long, a little ray of hope shone down on some new growth. Harry Potter had just declared that he was her friend.

**Seers Need Friends Too**

Harry didn't know how long he held his crying friend. There was no sun in this place so he could not use the changing shadows, but he guessed Luna cried hard for at least half an hour and then sniffled into his shoulder for what he thought was another half an hour. When she quieted, she was still leaning against him, with his arms wrapped around her loosely.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"I haven't done a very good job of explaining anything yet."

"You will, Luna," Harry answered. "I am sure you will, just as soon as you get past the grief and loneliness you are feeling. In the meantime, you can use me to lean on. I will no doubt need to lean on you whenever I'm missing Sirius the most."

Harry paused for a few seconds, and then continued. "While we wait, can you tell me about that medallion that turned me into an owl? Do you think it could be modified to include some clothes? I think I would really like to go flying with Hedwig again, but I'm not sure I would like to end up naked again. Where is Hedwig by the way? I haven't seen her since I woke up in that bed."

"Hedwig is under the attic of the house, Harry. She is having a bit of trouble adjusting to the lack of a day/night cycle. I ended up having to put a spell over her cage so she could sleep." Luna answered his second question first, and then continued on.

"It is possible to create medallions that can both be used multiple times, and include a simple set of clothing, Harry. But you have to make it for yourself if you want it to include clothes, and I did not have the time to teach you before we had to leave. I didn't even have time to make such a medallion for myself. "

"So I can create such a medallion for myself after you teach me?" Harry asked. "What about medallions that change us into other types of creatures?"

"We will each be able to make such a thing, Harry. Those spells are in one of the books I brought from the Lovegood library. I know we will need several other spells from that book."

Luna squirmed a bit, so Harry released his loose hold and helped her sit up. Luna thought for a minute and then continued.

"Daddy and Mommy only ever used the single use owl spells, and never went to the trouble of creating a multiuse medallion. But they liked to see each other without clothes. Before Mommy died, I walked in on them playing with each other in their bed more than once. I think the spells can be set up for many different types of creatures. With practice, it should be possible to change back into a human without the need of that special stone."

As Harry watched, Luna's eyes lost focus for a moment before she said, "In fact I think that is how we will rescue your snakes. But I don't think they will like the fact that they will change back with no clothes while we remain covered."

"Are you being a seer again?" Harry asked, confused by the idea of snakes wearing clothing.

"It isn't something I can turn off, Harry," Luna answered. "I will be a seer of some type for the rest of my life. I should be able, with practice, to ignore the visions. But when I actively go looking into the future, it is sometimes very hard to find my way back to myself. I really need an anchor."

"Okay…So how do we make you an anchor? I have no desire to discover my friend, Luna, is so lost in time she can't come back. I don't have a lot of friends to be throwing one away like that."

Harry watched as Luna's very red eyes got wide, but they did not become unfocussed this time, rather they focused directly on him for a moment. Harry squirmed uncomfortably thinking about how much he had enjoyed the feeling of her next to him and afraid she was reading his mind or seeing that or something.

"You really do, don't you?" came the cryptic reply, but before Harry could guess at what Luna was talking about, she continued. "You really do consider me a friend." Before Harry could comment on those strange words, Luna smiled that smile that had convinced him before that she was a very good looking girl. "Thank you, Harry. That means a lot to me."

Harry didn't have a lot of experience dealing with emotional girls or friends, but it now looked like Luna had even less. Going by guesswork, and hoping for the best, Harry gathered Luna back against him in a gentle undemanding hug, and he said, "Yes, I do consider you a friend, right now, one of my best friends. You are the only one that has managed to contact me since school ended, and the only one that seems to care about getting me away from the Dursleys."

"It means a lot to me to hear you say that, Harry, it really does," came Luna's soft response from his shoulder. "To answer your earlier question, an 'Anchor' in this case is a person not a thing. A seer can anchor to someone that they trust. You are the only person I am going to be seeing for the next bit, so I may ask you to anchor me. But we will need a bit more time to learn about each other before that can happen."

As Luna again disengaged from his arm, Harry helped her sit back up, and changed the subject to one that had been in the back of his mind since waking up and finding Luna's first note. "So I had a bit of Voldemort's soul in my head?"

"Well, not exactly in your head, Harry," Luna replied. "More like in that strange scar of yours. Your scar looked pretty bad once I got you far enough away from that ugly bit of magic to look over your injuries. But once I got you into bed, and put a poultice on the wound, it has started healing, and should disappear in the next week."

Harry wondered for half a minute if Dumbledore had known about the part of his connection to Tom, and then brought the conversation back to the question he wanted answered. "Is the piece of Tommy's soul still 'alive', Luna?"

"Ah, you want to know how to kill it, Harry." Luna's face took on a more animated expression. "Most magic can't deal with an intentionally severed soul, which is the only way a soul fragment like this could continue to live outside of your body. However, the Lovegood library has a couple of really old spells that came from our Druid roots, and one of them deals almost entirely with souls and what muggles call astral projection. I have the book in the house, and another book with the page marked for the dismissal that should do the trick."

"Are you ready to go in yourself, Luna? I am anxious to kill that bit of Tom that helped me kill Sirius," Harry started, and then his stomach rumbled to remind him that he was very hungry. Before he could apologize, a similar rumble could be heard from Luna's own midsection.

"I was going to ask to stay out a bit longer, Harry, but I think perhaps I should join you inside." Luna smiled over at her friend.

Luna stood before she noticed that Harry would have been willing to help her stand. Another ray of hope found its way into her heart at the friendly willingness to help her.

The two of them walked side by side towards the house. About half way there, two hands joined almost of their own volition.

**Of Confessions**

Luna watched as Harry stared blankly at the old book in front of him. He hadn't even opened it yet. Then he turned and looked back up at her.

"You said this was how old, Luna?" he asked. "And you want me to even touch it? It shouldn't even exist in a readable state if it is that old."

"Harry, what is the answer to almost any impossible thing that happens around you?"

Harry looked lost in thought for a moment and tentatively said, "Um, magic?"

Luna smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, and countless of Lovegoods have handled that book, including myself."

Harry took a deep breath, and, expecting it to turn to dust at any moment, he reached over to pick up to book intending to read through to the section Luna had marked earlier. Except the book did not let him. When Harry touched the book he froze, not of his own volition. Harry could actually feel a 'presence' in the book react to his foreign magic and rise in defense of the special knowledge found in the book.

How long Harry was frozen, he wasn't sure until a second hand appeared and a command Harry could not quite understand was issued. Just turning off a switch, Harry was able to move again.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I forgot some of the books were protected. I'll need to grant you access to all of the Lovegood books in the library." Luna explained.

– – (()) – –

Luna and Harry had just finished a short repast. With there being no real day or night, it was hard to describe a meal as breakfast, lunch or dinner. It had been fun, yes fun, to prepare a meal with Harry. It seemed that he knew how to cook some things, although it was the muggle way of preparing things. It just so happened that they had worked out a rhythm while they were sharing the duties.

Another first for Luna: someone that shared the work, shared the meal, and Harry had even shared with the clean up afterwards. Even if Harry was going to be upset with her, she had this time to treasure. But she needed to confess to him soon. But since she was involved, and she couldn't 'see' herself, Luna had no idea how this conversation was going to go.

"Luna?" Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You aren't lost again, are you? You are frowning something fierce and you don't seem to be looking at anything."

"I have some unpleasant things to talk to you about, Harry," Luna said, looking down towards her hands. "Whenever my Mum was feeling a bit lazy she would say that she was 'dreading' the dishes, meaning that she would do the dishes later. I've been 'dreading' this conversation as I'm worried about how you are going to take what I need to tell you."

Luna glanced up from her hands, and noticed that she had Harry's complete attention, and he was looking wary. But he had not backed away from the table or her, yet.

"Harry, by bringing you here, I am... I am using you. I am manipulating you every bit as much as our senile Headmaster has been manipulating you."

She couldn't look at his face, so Luna looked back down towards her hands, which were now clenched together.

A few seconds passed without the expected cry of denial or rage, so Luna glanced up through her eyelashes, just enough to see Harry's face. It was unchanged; he was still looking wary, but he had not moved either away or towards her.

"Say something, Harry!" Luna whispered in a frightened voice.

"How about you finish telling me about your manipulations of me first," Harry said. "I need a bit more information. I went off half-cocked and got Sirius killed. I don't want to do the same thing with a new friend."

Friend, he had said that wonderful 'F' word again. Still he had to know.

"Based on what I have been 'seeing', I've started pushing you down a path I don't think you would normally take," Luna confessed.

"What is special about the path you want me to take? Compared, say, to the one you would expect to me to follow without your interference."

Luna winced at Harry's words, and tried to answer. "Less death, or rather, less innocent death," was all she was able to say.

"Less innocent death? That sounds like a good thing, but who counts as an innocent? Or more importantly, who doesn't count as an innocent?"

"Death Eaters killed my Daddy. They are not innocent!" Luna's answered hotly. "Although there may be a couple of them that we can save, for the most part, if they are Death Eaters, they are going to die."

"If we kill all of the Death Eaters, do we save all of the innocents?"

Luna took a deep breath to calm her emotions. Thinking about Daddy's killers wasn't helping right now. "No, Harry, we save more of the innocents. There is no way through any of the multitude of paths I have seen where we save all of the innocents. Also it is likely some of your friends, me included if you still count me as a friend, will not survive the war."

"But more of my friends survive?" Harry asked.

"That number has not been determined, Harry. There are chances in this path that will cause you to lose a couple more friends, and strain the friendship of others," Luna replied. "Each of those friends has choices to make that can influence their own survival. But knowing a couple of them like I do, they may not all make the correct choice. If they all make the wrong choice, you will end up losing more friends, but you can't make those choices for them."

Luna took another breath, "And, Harry, in this path you will do a lot of the killing. Death Eaters and Voldemort will fall by your hand. Actually, Voldemort will need to die by your hand several times. In the path of no interference, you would personally kill fewer. You'd kill Voldemort, once, as only you can kill him, but that would pretty much be it."

"How do you know that only I can kill Tommy?" Harry asked sharply. "I haven't told you anything about that."

"I 'saw' your conversation with the Headmaster at the end of the term, Harry," Luna responded.

Luna paused again, but Harry was still not raving at her and with another quick glance, she could tell he was still listening. So Luna plowed on with what she knew about the path of least innocent death. "Harry, you won't be alone, and, you won't need to kill all of the Death Eaters. I have every intention of killing my fair share of those _things_. And we will need to rescue your snakes to help."

Luna was startled when Harry stood and crossed over towards her. He was not menacing her; instead he sat down beside her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I haven't decided if I want this path of yours, Luna, but I am concerned about your need for vengeance."

Luna looked up and stared at her friend. Her friend, who still seemed to be a friend, stared right back at her and his face displayed no disgust or anger. Instead his vivid green eyes looked concerned and worried. "But I…I…"

"Yes, Luna, you did. You were pushing me, but there is a very big difference between you and Dumbledore. You talked to me. I have been awake and human for less than a day, and you confessed. Now then, I expect I will still be a bit annoyed at you, but not angry. To be honest, your plan or path is already made out, whereas whatever Dumbledore has or had planned for me is still a secret only he knows."

Luna felt Harry sigh more than she heard him take a breath and release it. "And the fact that you're going through the same emotions I am feeling about Sirius, is helping me to cope with his loss. I am sorry you lost your dad, Luna. But seeing you in a vengeful mood is curing me of the need to do the same for Sirius."

It was Luna's turn to sigh, since it appeared that she had not broken this new friendship that she was beginning to depend on so much.

Harry's arms released her from yet another hug - he had given her several today - and his hands moved to her shoulders, setting the two of them just a short distance apart. "Talk to me, Luna. Tell me about what you have seen, and what we would need to do. I am not sure I want to do that much killing, but to have a chance to save my friends I am willing to at least talk about it. And what snakes do you keep bringing up? Is there a magical breed of snakes down here?"

Luna smiled a weak watery smile, and began to explain the first steps.

**Dismissals**

Looking through the doorway into the chamber Luna had just opened, Harry stared apprehensively at the bit of Tom's soul that had been riding around in his head. Even though the equivalent of several days had passed, although there were no tentacles surrounding it, the black sphere was pulsing ominously, and based on what Luna had just said, it seemed to be no weaker.

"You're sure this will work, Luna?" Harry asked, "I so don't want that thing getting angry and trying to re-attach itself to me."

His friend, and in this his teacher, smiled a tight lipped nervous smile, and gave him the answer that he did not want to hear. "No, Harry, I'm not _sure_ it will work. It should work, the book says it will work, but I haven't done anything like this before either."

"This Horcrux thing scares me," Harry said to her, returning Luna's nervous smile with one of his own.

"Harry, it scares me too, which is why there are two of us, and each of us has learned a different dismissal. I really think yours will work though, and I'll only cast mine if I have to."

The ancient book on soul magic of Luna's did not actually contain the spells that the two of them were planning to use, rather it just mentioned that the magic holding the soul fragment would need to be dismissed. As Harry had pondered that, Luna had dropped another very old book onto his lap that did nothing but talk about dismissals. As soon as he could, Harry was going to go back and read that book cover to cover; some of the things you could do with dismissals were amazing.

According to the book, you could cast some dismissals silently, but the more powerful dismissals required some kind of incantation. But the book said it did not matter what kind of words you used, just that they needed to express what magic was to be wiped away.

That was the beauty of the dismissals; they 'dismissed' or interrupted the magic they were aimed at. In theory, with the magic holding Tom's soul bit in place suddenly gone, the soul would be unable to sustain itself and would pass on. In theory, which is why Luna had prepared a different dismissal, one that was designed to actually dismiss the soul. When they had practiced three sleep periods ago, that spell had drained Luna's magic to the point where she couldn't even cast a _lumos_ for twelve hours. They had therefore needed to wait for Luna's magic to build back up before they could try their hand at being Tom exterminators.

Luna nudged Harry, and then crept into the room, hugging the wall of the chamber to the left of the doorway. Harry counted to twenty and then also entered the room, although he hugged the wall to the right. Once he was far enough into the room that the archway holding the Horcrux no longer blocked his view, Harry glanced across the room to where Luna had stopped. She was holding her wand at the ready and looked more determined than he had ever seen her.

Harry looked at the black mass he wanted to destroy and nearly recoiled in horror as it changed. The pulses were noticeably becoming more rapid, and tentacles were forming at the top of the mass waving in the air like antennas trying to locate whatever had disturbed it. Then the antennas stopped weaving: they had found their prey. As Harry watched nearly spellbound, the mass extruded additional tentacles that started to weave their way towards Luna! Harry heard his friend whimper and softly call his name.

Harry knew time was running out, so he waved at Luna, and then with his free hand, he started a countdown, holding three fingers up, then two, then one. As the countdown reached zero, Harry pointed his wand at the Horcrux and firmly chanted his incantation. "Dimittere, sāwol cupa." Just like it did when they had practiced, a multicolored sphere sped from his wand to the target.

There was a popping noise when the spell impacted the black ball that made up the Horcrux, followed by a screech. The black ball and tentacles were just as suddenly gone leaving a slivery gray sphere that was much smaller. As the screeching got louder, Harry decided it must be the un-holy sound of a dying soul as the remaining sphere began to shrink.

Smaller, and smaller it became, although the screeching seemed to get louder. Then, there was another loud pop, and the last bit of Tom Riddle's soul fragment disappeared, leaving blissful silence in its wake.

As Luna continued to watch, her wand at the ready, Harry cast several detection spells before relaxing and giving Luna the all clear sign they had selected.

As Harry relaxed against the wall a blonde missile crossed the room and latched on to him.

"Harry! I told you that you could do it, Harry. I told you," Luna cried as she held on like she wasn't going to let go.

Harry wrapped his arms around Luna and hugged her back. "Yes, Luna, you did tell me."

The two of them spent several minutes trying to put their scattered wits back together. When Harry felt Luna's grip on him loosen a bit he continued his thoughts, voicing the fears he had been fighting. "You did tell me, Luna, but I am not like you or Hermione; it often takes me several tries before I get a spell right."

"Posh, Harry!" a recovering Luna replied as she broke free from the hug and turned to leave the chamber. "You are a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Hermione would not have been able to cast that spell at all; her ordered mind would not accept that you can just pick an incantation to match your desired results. The old magic was more about results, as opposed to the cause and affects that we learn at school now."

Two hands again joined as the two of them continued left through the tunnels toward the entrance to the Lovegood Reserve. Harry glanced down at his companion and smiled. You could only see traces of 'Loony' left; in her place now walking beside him was an attractive young lady with a delightful sense of fun. Loony had disappeared the moment Harry had said that he had forgiven her for her manipulations and agreed to go for the path of least innocent death.

When Harry thought about it, which wasn't as often anymore, he thought it was a shame that he had not befriended Luna before. Her ideas often ran counter to his, but she was willing to discuss them openly without getting defensive, and the resulting compromises often worked better than either of them expected. If he had been able to listen, really listen to this young lady during the tri-wizard tournament, several things would have been different. During the DA meetings when he had been teaching what he knew, he hadn't been open to suggestions, but listening to Luna now, he had made several changes to his spell casting, and was getting much better results.

Luna claimed it was the same for her, and swore that the practice Harry was putting her through had increased her magical core a bit, making her spells a little stronger, and her casting time a little shorter.

**References:**

The description of the inside of the fairy mound is based on Pellucidar as created by Edgar Rice Burroughs (http : / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Pellucidar_)._

The Horcrux definition came from the HP Lexicon; they credit it as being from a notebook from JKR.

'Dismissals' as a type of magic comes from a book by Brian Daley. "Starfollowers of Coramonde" (first printing 1979) which is the second book of a duology.  
The first book was "Doomfarers of Coramonde" (first printing 1977). I have expanded the concept of dismissals to fit my requirements.


	4. Chapter 3: First Steps

**Chapter_ 3: _First Steps**

**The Great Forest**

Ever since they had dismissed the Horcrux, Harry and Luna had fallen into a pattern that filled their days. Morning came when Harry woke up and started cooking breakfast, and Luna would follow her nose down to the table as Harry finished cooking, already having bathed and cleaned up for the day. Then while Harry cleaned up a bit, Luna would do the dishes and start some of the prep work for the 'evening' meal. Once Harry came back downstairs, the two of them would go outside and do some light exercising, followed by a short time spent doing some planning with a bit of studying after that. Lunch would be prepared and cleaned up by the two of them together, and whatever additional prep work that was needed for dinner would come next.

The afternoons were spent on the owl medallions. Harry had managed to create two of the one-time use medallions, one of which Luna had kept, the other had led to an afternoon flying with Hedwig outside the Reserve. Just yesterday, Luna had completed a multiuse owl medallion that included her clothes in the transformation, and she had started working on both teaching Harry how to make a medallion of his own, and learning how to change back into her human shape at will.

Dinner would be cooked by the two of them, although Luna directed the meal, followed by Harry doing the kitchen cleanup, followed by a few chores, and a bit more study. Then at some point in the evening Luna would excuse herself and come back downstairs a short time later in her nightgown. When Harry asked about this ritual, Luna told him it had been how things were done in the Lovegood house for as long as she could remember. Once that had been explained to Harry, he started heading upstairs and changing into a nightshirt as well. The remainder of the evening would be spent talking about whatever the two of them wanted to.

This afternoon, however, was to be a bit different, as it was time to learn how to travel. According to the old books they had been reading, all of the trees in England could be considered a part of 'The Great Forest', and as such they were all connected. The ancients that had written one of the books claimed they could call upon this connection and actually travel through the trees to anywhere on the island that had adult trees.

The book had several warnings about not doing this alone the first time, so Luna, Harry, and Hedwig all congregated underneath a large tree just outside the wards of the reserve. Harry was extremely nervous about this attempt, not because he did not understand the magic, but rather because Luna had decided that for their first attempt clothes were an unnecessary complication. So once again, he was only wearing a light robe and was having a very normal reaction to being in the presence of a very pretty friend who had just removed her only covering.

Because Harry had had some warning, he was able to keep from staring too much, and thus avoided becoming a drooling slob. Instead he was able to smile at Luna and wish her good luck with a mostly steady voice as she gave him her robe to hold. For her part, Luna smiled right back at him, and proving that she knew more that most would believe about her, she told him, "Thank you for not staring, Harry."

- - (()) - -

Luna was very pleased with Harry; he was trying to ignore her lack of clothing. He was having trouble doing it, and she had noticed he had started to have a physical response to her when she removed her robe, but nevertheless Harry had managed to raise his eyes to her face and wish her luck.

After thanking Harry for his resolve, Luna had turned towards the tree they had selected, and placing both of her hands on the trunk, she then started to concentrate on the living wood. This magic was much like the dismissals they had studied; there was no incantation, and no wand movements required, just a magical core and an understanding of 'The Great Forest'. All of the plants and trees were connected: they shared roots; they shared the air; they soaked up the rainfall; they made up a living whole.

There was a feeling of melting, and Luna felt a difference in her environment. When she opened her eyes, however, she discovered just darkness. "It worked," Luna thought to herself, and she started to separate herself from the wood. She had a moment of panic when she had trouble remembering, remembering. What was she supposed to be remembering? Who was she? She could not remember! Then she heard it, someone was talking, speaking, calling a name. In a flash of memory she recalled, it was her name, Luna. Harry was calling her back from the wood. Exactly as the book had said to, Harry was not yelling, and she could not hear anxiety in his voice, but he was calling to her with his voice, and with his magical core. That was right, she had a magical core, she was a witch, not a tree, a witch, a young witch with blonde hair…

"Luna, come back, Luna. Remember who you really are, Luna. Remember your voice, Luna. Remember you have eyes to see, Luna." Harry was sitting where she had left him, his eyes were closed and even now that she was herself again, Luna could still feel the pull from his calling.

"And I have ears to hear with as well, Harry," Luna announced. "And I have a very best friend that can call to my very soul. You did that very well, Harry."

Harry looked up at her, and spent no time at all taking in her lack of clothes. Luna smiled down at him, in spite of the fluttering she felt in her stomach when she saw him so focused on her, and only her.

Luna helped Harry to stand, and let him assist her in putting on her robe.

"Do you know how long I was in the wood, Harry?"

"I think only for a couple of minutes," Harry answered. "I did a slow count to fifteen like you asked from the time you seemed to melt into the tree, until I started calling to you. I was able to see an outline of you almost right away, but I had trouble…" Harry paused and took a deep breath before he continued. "I had trouble concentrating on more than the fact you were not wearing clothes, and I had to close my eyes to continue."

Luna paused for a second, looking at her friend, and then she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry was obviously a bit embarrassed, and looked her with a questioning expression, "Um, for what, Luna? I…I"

"For telling the truth, Harry," Luna interrupted his confession. "I did not understand how much you would be affected by a lack of clothes. Now that you have told me, we can work out a plan or a solution. And Harry, the thank you was also for getting the job done in spite of the distractions."

Harry refocused on her, and an answering smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he said nothing.

"Harry, I need to think about this a bit. I was raised to believe that not wearing clothes was not a big deal. Mummy and Daddy would often sunbathe in the nude, and on those days we might not wear any clothes all day. Also there have been several rituals which we completed as a family, where all three of us entered the ritual circle wearing only a bit of body paint specific for the ritual we were performing."

Luna thought about her parents for a moment, before changing the subject. "Do you think you can try your turn at the wood today, Harry? Not wearing clothing really will make a difference, at least the first time."

Harry hesitated for a short while, and then nodded while looking at the tree. Before he could remove his robe, Luna crossed over to him, and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Harry, I meant what I said. You did a very good job of calling me back from the wood. Thank you." Luna paused before continuing, "I appreciate how honest you were with me just now. I am sure that was difficult." There was another brief pause, but when Harry did not say anything, Luna continued again, "Harry, I am not upset with you. I am just surprised that my looks can distract you, but that is not something that upsets me."

Harry turned his head back to her and looked into her eyes. Once again, Luna was surprised by the rush of feelings that shook her, but she could not show that now.

"How can you not be upset with me? I have been, been… I let your lack of clothing distract me." Harry's uncertain voice could hardly be heard.

"Yet you were able to call me back with no trouble at all, Harry." Luna tried to make him understand. "You are my friend first, and you did let not your distraction interfere, instead, you called me back. I am honored to have a friend like you. It has been too long since I was able to trust someone as much as I am learning to trust you, and that might be why I have been so casual with you, Harry. I trust you as I would my family."

Luna's tone then turned serious. "Harry, if you feel, even a bit, like you can't trust me as I trusted you, we shouldn't let you try the wood today. I am not upset. Can you accept that so we can move on?"

Harry wrapped his own arms around her as he stared off into the distance, voicing his thoughts aloud. "I remember reading in one of your family books about some rituals, they almost all said being skyclad was recommended. You have shared your past and we are planning a future based on your seeings. Yes, I can trust you. You would and will tell me if I upset you. Your surprise at my comments was too real, you really didn't know…"

Harry released her, and pulled off his own robe saying, "Let's get this done, Luna. Tell me what you saw and/or felt when you entered the living wood."

**Harry's Turn**

"Harry! You did it!"

It seemed like three lifetimes to Harry since Luna and he had first entered The Great Forest. In truth, it had only been a couple of days, but those days had been very intense. He and Luna had spent a great deal of time entering and exiting the trees, first without, and then with clothes. Both of them had been exhausted by the end of each day, but the work had just paid off. They had both been able to enter a tree, and using the connections between the different trees exit a different tree, and then return to the tree they had named their source tree. Harry had just completed one such trip, carrying some needed food and supplies purchased from a store near London. Luna had completed a similar trip this morning, buying her supplies from a store in nearby Ulceby.

Harry smiled at Luna's enthusiasm, quite pleased that the trip had gone so well.

"Harry, I am so proud of you," exclaimed his friend. And with that, all the joy he felt about his accomplishment fell away. The person he wished he could share this with, and who also would have been proud of him was dead.

"Harry? What's wrong Harry?"

Harry heard his friend, but did not respond as the grief and tears he had been fighting against for quite a while broke through. He did not want to cry in front of Luna - he did not want to appear weak in front of her, but his control was slipping.

"Harry, come back to me, Harry. Tell me what's wrong."

It was too late for him to run. Luna was now holding his hand, and she was calling him back to her, the way they had practiced when they had needed help exiting their tree.

"I'm sorry, Luna." Harry tried to sound more normal, but it came out more like a sob.

"Sorry? Harry, why are you sorry? You don't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything to me. Talk to me, Harry."

"Sirius," was all Harry was able to choke out as he gave himself up to his grief.

- - (()) - -

As Harry began to take notice of himself again, he found himself sitting on the ground leaning against Luna's seeing tree, the tree he had found her under that first day he woke in the reserve. He was also half leaning against Luna herself. She had propped herself a little higher against the tree and was holding Harry's head against her shoulder, and was half murmuring, half humming into his ear. Harry had no idea how Luna had managed to lead him to this place, or how long she had been holding him like this.

Luna must have noticed a difference as she stopped humming and relaxed her grip, but she continued to hold him, just more loosely.

Harry could not believe how embarrassed he was feeling. He should have been stronger; he should have been able to contain his grief. Instead he had suffered a breakdown.

"No!" exclaimed Luna firmly, but without raising her voice. "You are not going to try hiding from me again, Harry.

"Wha…" Harry started, wondering how Luna knew what he was thinking.

"You started to tense up, Harry, and I could almost feel you try to collapse into yourself," Luna interrupted. "I don't know why you felt you couldn't grieve in my presence, but I am not going to let you close up like that again. It is not healthy in the least."

"I'm … I mean I shouldn't …"

"You think that because you are a man, you shouldn't display weakness. Is that it, Harry?"

Defeated and now even a bit more embarrassed, Harry nodded his head into her shoulder, afraid of what he might see if she looked at her.

"You have seen me grieve for my Daddy, Harry. Did you know he was tempted to try and show the world a stiff upper lip after my Mum died? But in the end he didn't, rather he expressed his grief in my presence just as often as I was expressing mine. It helped me accept my Mum's death, and I can talk about it now without a problem. Some people think that my acceptance of her death is un-natural; I think it is because my Daddy helped me by grieving with me, instead of letting me grieve alone. Harry, we both know they are all waiting for us, we heard them from across the veil: my parents, your parents, and your godfather are all there. It doesn't help with the pain at first, but it will. But you have to express that pain and not hide it."

Luna continued almost without a pause, "And, Harry, I can tell you that releasing the pain with someone helps a lot more than trying to cry at night or only when you are alone. I cried every night after Daddy died while I was setting up your escape. But then I grieved twice with you just after we got here. You offered your support both of those times, and I felt cleaner, like I had released more of the poison in my soul in each of those bouts than I did from all the nights crying alone."

"And don't think that it is just because I am a girl, Harry, I have seen it help with my Daddy, and he was strong enough hold his grief if he had wanted to. He didn't, and he and I became closer because of it," Luna finished, as she moved.

Not knowing what Luna was doing, Harry turned his head to look at her, just as she moved in to kiss his cheek. Their lips connected, sort of, in a kind of a half on, half off kiss. Harry was so stunned he did nothing, and when he didn't move, he felt Luna correct her aim and connect their lips for a brief moment. Then she had pulled back.

"Harry, I have already mentioned that I feel like I can trust you like you are more than a friend, but rather like you are family. What can I do so that you will start to trust me as well? I know we are friends, and that we have become very close friends, but you didn't feel you could share your grief."

Harry stared at his friend. She had kissed him, and it had rocked his stability off center. And there she was, concerned, supportive, and caring.

"Let's head back to the house and get you cleaned up a bit. We will need to make a simpler dinner than I had planned, but, Harry, after dinner, I would like it if you could talk to me a bit about your godfather."

- - (()) - -

After Harry had cleaned up from dinner, he found Luna already in her nightgown sitting on a couch in front of the hearth instead of the comfortable rocking chair she favored. She called to him as he headed towards the padded chair he preferred. "Harry, tonight I think it would be best if you sat here. I have every intention of allowing you to grieve a bit more. If the conversation becomes un-needed, we can take comfort from each other's proximity."

Harry did as instructed, and sat next to Luna on the couch, and was surprised when she scooted next to him and then clasped him in a hug.

"You have no idea how much having you hold me while I grieved for Daddy that first day we were here meant to me, Harry. But I have every intention of showing you what it could mean to you," Luna began, almost before he could lapse into silence. "Tell me a bit about the man I thought was Stubby Boardman, your godfather."

"His name was Sirius Black, Luna, and yes, he was my godfather…"

It was just as Luna had said, having someone holding you, and letting you hold them made a difference. Harry was able to talk about Sirius' death, and the hole his death was leaving in Harry's life. Harry talked about the hopes he had had of being a family with Sirius, and how Sirius would have been a method to get away from the Dursleys. Harry was even able to touch on his feelings of betrayal for Dumbledore, the man Luna called the senile Headmaster.

It was late when Harry finished with his story. He had broken down and cried a couple of times, and each time Luna had held him, humming a haunting melody while letting him continue when he was ready; letting Harry tell his story the way he wanted, even if Harry did need to backtrack and re-cover several areas a couple of times. Now though, the conversation had stopped and Harry was marveling at how good it felt to hold one Luna Lovegood in his arms. It surprised him that Luna was still holding him, even though he had finished talking for the night.

Harry glanced down at the girl as she cuddled into his side and watched her face as she stared at the empty fireplace, and acting on an impulse, he bent his head down and kissed Luna's forehead.

"Thank you for today, Luna. I had no idea I needed this as badly as I did," Harry started but lapsed into stunned silence as the girl in his arms looked up at him and smiled a simple smile that transformed Harry's definition of beauty.

"As you said to me just after we got here, Harry, 'it's what friends do for each other'," Luna said. "And as I recall, you mentioned you would be using me for this kind of support." Luna paused, while looking up at him. "Harry, you look like you have been emptied of all your thoughts." Luna glanced down at her nightgown, then back up towards him. "My boobs are covered, so I have no idea why you appear so stunned."

Again Harry acted on impulse, and bent his head towards Luna's. But this time it was not her forehead he kissed. Luna did not start back or jerk away; instead she breathed a quiet sigh and actually returned his kiss.

**Enter the Snakes**

It was with dread in their hearts that Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass approached the walk of Malfoy Manor. They had tried to postpone this date for as long as possible, but word had come down from the idiot lord their parents followed so blindly that 'it was time to bond to the cause' and become Death Eaters; something neither girl wanted. They were not light witches, but they had spoken together at great length, and they wanted no part of a group of men that killed and raped so easily. The only comfort the pair had was that Blaise Zabini was also walking with them, and of all of their housemates at school, he was the most understanding of their concerns. There would be little or no chance to escape, but if the opportunity arose, both Tracey and Daphne would be grasping at it, and hopefully they could pull Blaise along with them.

The large front door opened before they got to it, revealing their hated dorm mate and the scion of the Malfoy line, Draco.

"You took your time getting here." Draco sneered at them as if he were looking down on them from a superior height. "Once we are marked, such tardiness would lead to punishment."

"I wonder if the punishment would also extend to the person that gave such poor instructions on how to get here," Blaise remarked in rebuttal, matching Draco's sneer. "I assure you that my mother has already expressed her displeasure to our Lord. Her disgust at the poor quality of our instructions could be heard from several rooms away."

Blaise then walked up to the doorway forcing a surprised and suddenly defensive Draco to give ground or close the door. The proud blonde was known to be a coward at heart, and he gave ground awkwardly. Once through the door, Blaise continued to crowd Draco, forcing him to open the door even further.

Once the door had been opened wide, Blaise turned to the girls in his charge and gave them a half bow. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Daph, Tee. It seems we were to be welcomed by a commoner. My mother will no doubt have words to say about our welcome here as well."

Both Tracey and Daphne fought to keep grins off of their faces as they entered the house. Blaise did not pull rank often, and they had forgotten just how good he was at it.

Blaise then turned back to a sputtering and angry Draco for a preemptive attack. "Just how many generations can you count yourself as a pureblood, Draco? I seem to recall you would need to multiply that number by three to match mine. You could multiply it by two to get near to Miss Greengrass' count. And Miss Davis has nearly thirty generations of pureblooded wizards on her father's side, which has allowed her to attend to Miss Greengrass' needs very effectively. I am sure you do not plan on separating Miss Greengrass from her help while we wait the call to join our Lord's cause. See to it that they are roomed together."

Blaise turned back to the girls and offered Daphne his arm, before sweeping past the still sputtering and stunned Draco, with Tracey following a neat three steps behind. "We will need to greet our host, your father, and I assume he will be in his study at this hour of the day. I have been here before and know the way, leaving you to see to our rooms."

And with that, Blaise and Daphne, with Tracey in tow crossed the entryway towards the back of the house.

Once they had passed through a couple of rooms and down an opulently decorated hallway, Blaise turned to Tracey with some concern. "You aren't too mad at me for that, are you, Tee? I really don't care that your mother was not a pureblood, but I needed some way to keep you two together."

Tracey caught up to them and gave her hero a slight hug and a peck on the cheek while Daphne answered for her friend. "I'm pretty sure that she is a bit annoyed, but I am very impressed, and pleased. I will talk her down a bit." Daphne could not help but grin as she added, "While she is seeing to my needs and brushing my hair."

"Prat!" Tracey aimed at Daphne, before turning to Blaise, "Do you think he really will give us a room together?"

"I don't think he will do it himself, but yes, I invoked his father's name as a part of the order. To ignore it would mean he had shamed the Malfoy name."

"Then I forgive you," Tracey said. "You may have just saved us from his unwelcome 'attentions', and I will forgive quite a bit to avoid having that pompous arse being my first."

With that thought, all of the humor fled from all three. They all knew it was likely that Tracey and Daphne would have to 'entertain' some of the male Death Eaters before they took the mark. Unless they proved to be really good at following their orders, they would be expected to regularly 'entertain' the other Death Eaters as a part of their normal duties.

"Tee? Please remember this, I don't care!" Blaise said earnestly. "If we live though this, we will be together. They aren't important enough to prevent that."

"But…"

"I don't care! I think you are the best, and your body is only part of why I am attracted to you. Being your first would be nice, but isn't necessary. Being your last lover is very important."

"Damn," whispered Daphne, "I hear someone coming. Blaise, when we are settled, why don't you visit us? I can make myself scarce in the bathroom, or at least ignore you, while you become Tee's first lover instead."

There was no further time for discussion as they resumed their positions with Tracey following behind Daphne the required three paces, while Blaise escorted Daphne to the door.

**Of Banks and Wills**

Harry had kissed her! More importantly, Harry had wanted to kiss her! He had made the move, he had bent his head to hers, and Glorianna, it had felt so good! There could be no questioning it, Luna Lovegood was hooked. More than hooked, she had been landed. Harry, bless his soul, was acting just as bemused, and he was looking just as blissful as she was feeling. They had cuddled into each other that first night for another hour. They had kissed several more times. And each time they had kissed, it had been a bit better.

Of course, Harry had tried to claim that it was a mistake, but Luna wasn't having any part of that. He had kissed her, and when she had continued, even assisted with that all important first kiss, he had not fought her and the kiss had gone on to last a good while longer. So when Harry had first tried to apologize, she had initiated a kiss of her own.

Luna was ever so grateful to her Daddy just now; he had explained that boys would try to mess things up. Daddy had even admitted that he had nearly messed things up between him and Mum. So Luna had taken Harry's face between her hands, and kissed him rather than let him try to be gallant and noble and take the blame.

It had taken a couple of kisses, oh and each kiss had felt so good, before Harry figured out that he was going to lose that discussion. Once he had accepted that Luna was enjoying the kissing every bit as much as he was, they got to practice and learn a bit more about the activity.

And this morning, Harry made breakfast like normal, but before he put her wonderful breakfast on the table in front of her, he had kissed her yet again! And he gave her a wonderful hug. Still, they could not spend the whole day kissing and cuddling, they still had some things to do before they would be ready to rescue Harry's snakes. That rescue would not wait on them, they needed to be ready to move by tomorrow night or it would be too late.

"Harry, have I told you how wonderful you are?" Oops! Where did that come from? True as she thought it to be, that did not get them moving.

"Actually, Luna, you have told me that twice, so far today," Harry answered from across the table. "I have told you that I think you are pretty wonderful yourself… Pretty and wonderful all in one package, that's Luna Lovegood."

He had just called her pretty! Breathe, Luna, and control yourself.

"Harry, I … sigh … Harry we don't have the time to just do what I want and cuddle into your side to see where our day goes. We have to rescue your snakes the day after tomorrow, and we are still one owl medallion short, and we haven't visited the bank yet."

"Pretty, wonderful, and super smart. And, yes, Luna, we need to get other things done today, and my telling you how much I want to spend the day kissing you isn't going to help," Harry replied.

Harry thought for a moment and then continued, "You are better at the owl medallions, but I know from making the two I made that you need to be able concentrate. This morning, I don't expect us to be able to do much of that, so how about we practice for our rescue? We can take the trees over to London, follow Hedwig to Diagon Alley as owls, and once in the Alley, we can disguise ourselves and head over to Gringotts. After we are done there, we can reverse the steps to get back home. If we get back early enough in the afternoon, we can still start on the two medallions." Harry paused to think for a minute, and then he asked, "Do you think it will be safe enough for us to go into the Alley?"

"Yes, Harry, it should be quite safe," Luna replied. "You have let your hair grow a bit so it no longer stands out, and between a lack of a visible scar and no glasses, I don't expect anyone will even notice that the Boy-Who-Lived is walking amongst the mere mortals."

"Humph! Boy-Who-Lived! Humph," Harry grumbled. "And you, Luna? Won't you be noticed?"

"Harry, until you and your group started noticing me, I was mostly invisible to all but my fellow Ravenclaws, and they only noticed me to tease and torment me. I could walk down the middle of the Alley singing loudly, and most people won't even remember if I had blonde hair or red. While I think we should try and walk as little as possible, I don't think I will sing."

Harry kissed her lightly, again (Yes!), and then left to clean himself up while Luna cleaned the kitchen. Since they would likely be in London, if not Diagon Alley for lunch, Luna decided on simple sandwiches for dinner; they didn't require much effort, and would be easy to make when they were hungry. So Luna ran upstairs to her room and got both the key to her family's vault and her copy of her Daddy's will that she had saved from her house.

She and Harry then made sure to wake Hedwig, and taking the multi-use owl medallions, and those handy bags to hold their wands and any purchases, they started towards the entrance of the reserve while holding hands whenever possible.

- - (()) - -

Gringotts was pretty much as Harry remembered it, but it seemed that it was a slow day, so Harry and Luna had not needed to wait very long in a queue. Harry politely requested a meeting with someone that could explain his accounts to him, and Luna asked if there was someone that could verify her Daddy's will.

After asking for and looking at both Luna's key and the key Harry had provided, the teller called to one of goblin's behind him and spoke in rapid gobbledygook, and then asked Harry and Luna to stand aside while the meeting was set up.

It was half an hour later when Harry and Luna were escorted down a hall and into a large opulent office. "Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood to see you, _Tribus Praesieo._" The escort then bowed towards the goblin sitting on a slightly raised platform, the escort then left, closing the door behind him.

This '_Tribus Praesieo_' was the largest goblin that Harry had ever seen, and he seemed to be covered with gold and jewels. It was not too hard to believe this goblin was a bit more important than someone that would handle simple questions about an account.

"How may Gringotts help you today, Miss Lovegood, Mr. Potter?"

"Um, sir," Harry started, while bowing slightly, "I just had a couple questions about my Trust vault. I'm not at all sure my needs rate your attention."

"While my business is more serious," Luna chimed in almost on cue, "the Lovegood vaults do not rate the attention of a goblin of your rank."

The goblin barked a rough "Ha" and smiled, showing off his many sharp teeth, every one of which had a small jewel set within them.

"You are right of course; it is very rare for me to come this close to the surface, and even rarer for me to speak with bank customers directly. But you two have come to the attention of one our _šamān_. It seems you are pushing events in a direction in which we approve, and it's not the direction events would have normally followed. Since, should you succeed, the bank will make a greater profit, your concerns are worthy of my attention."

While Harry tried to remain calm, Luna rocked back as if struck. "You know what we are planning?" She queried in an anxious voice.

"No, Miss Lovegood, I do not know what you plan. I do know that my _šamān_ approves of your plans." The goblin then turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter, we might have needed to meet anyway. There is a bit of an inconsistency that has shown up in the statements of your Trust vault."

"Sir?"

"Please call me '_Tribus Praesieo_', it is my rank. It roughly will translate to sub chief. Now let us start with Miss Lovegood's business."

The goblin then turned towards Luna, and he actually seemed less warlike when he spoke to her.

"Do you have a copy of your father's will with you, Miss Lovegood?"

"Yes, _Tribus Praesieo_, I have it here," Luna replied.

"Please hand it to me." Which Luna did. The goblin inspected the seal for several moments before smiling again. "The seal is intact, which will make ratifying the will much easier. Do you know what it says?"

"I know what Daddy told me it would say, _Tribus Praesieo_, but not what the actual words in it are," Luna responded.

The goblin chieftain rang a simple desk bell that appeared to be made of solid gold, summoning a goblin dressed more like the tellers in the front of the bank. "Tell the Lovegood account manager to get ready for a will reading," the _Tribus Praesieo_ said.

The messenger bowed and left, closing the door behind him, and once they were alone again, the _Tribus Praesieo_ turned to Harry. "While we are setting up for the reading of the Lovegood will, I would like to discuss your vaults and the inconsistencies we have discovered…"

**The Night Before**

When Harry and Luna had finally returned home from the bank, they had worked on completing a couple more of the single use owl medallions, and then Luna had excused herself to her room. Harry didn't really expect her back down till morning, and had made a simple dinner, leaving some under a stasis spell by Luna's bedroom door.

Left to his own devices, Harry was studying the magic used to create the creature medallions. He was sure if he changed this here, and tweaked that line, and then made the whole thing larger, he could turn his multi-use medallion into a belt that would shrink and expand with whatever creatures Harry wanted to 'load' into the belt, as well as hold a pouch that would disappear while the belt was active. As near as Harry could tell without actually trying it, he would be able to fit three, maybe four, creatures into the belt.

As he studied, Harry thought about the day. It had taken a great deal longer to deal with his vaults than he had expected. Of course, it had been a shock to find out that the Headmaster had already removed enough tuition from his Trust vault to pay for eight years of schooling, and Hogwarts was a seven year school. The goblins also believed there would be an attempt to withdraw even more for the upcoming school year in a couple of days.

But Harry was pretty sure Dumbledore would be just as upset about the plans Harry had worked out as Harry was at finding out that Dumbledore was stealing from him. Harry was actually a bit sorry he would not be around when Dumbledore tried to withdraw more gold from his Trust vault, which would trigger a set of actions from the bank that should bedevil the senile old bast… blankity blank, blank man for some time.

The actual reading of Mr. Lovegood's will had held a couple of surprises as well. Mr. Lovegood had added a codicil to the will just a couple of weeks prior to his death, which named Luna as the Head of the Lovegood family, and as such, she was now emancipated. He had also left Luna a letter which she had taken up to her bedroom to read.

The Lovegood family was quite well off, but not rich. Instead of Galleons and political influence, the Lovegood family had collected artifacts, books, and land. Luna was now the mistress of a couple of large manor houses, including one under a Fidelius-like spell in the middle of London, not far from the Ministry building.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he felt his chair suddenly expand, and as he looked up, Luna, wearing her robe, sat down beside him and then cuddled into his side. Her eyes were red from crying, but no tears could be seen currently making their way down her face. Instead, her face was red, likely from having been scrubbed clean just before she came down the stairs. While Luna was not wearing the heart stopping smile that had convinced Harry she needed to be kissed by him, she was smiling.

"Thank you very much for leaving me a bit of dinner, Harry," Luna said as she squirmed a bit into his side. "My tummy was about to stage a revolt when I found where you left it. My tummy is much happier now."

Before Harry could answer, Luna stopped squirming and turned her head up to look at him. Answering the silent invitation, Harry leaned down to kiss his girl.

His girl sighed in contentment and wrapped her arm up around his neck and deepened the kiss. The simple kiss of greeting Harry had planned became a whole lot more, when the two sets of lips separated and Luna laid her head against Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, I am dreading another conversation with you," Luna said quietly. "I really didn't want to ask you this for a while, but the stresses of having Daddy's will read, and then finding out that he wrote me a letter so close to before he was killed, is pushing me."

"Pushing you how, Luna?" Harry asked, not too worried about any conversation with his girl. She had explained, very forcefully, that they needed to be absolutely honest with each other and that they each needed to remember that they couldn't read each other's minds, not yet anyway. She also explained that if they had any questions, they needed to ask them of the other.

"I will be 'seeing' tonight, Harry," Luna explained, "and I expect I will be re-living Daddy's death, and possibly Mum's death as well."

Harry thought back to his first day in the reserve before replying. "You mentioned a while ago that you expected I would need to become your anchor…" The rest of Harry's reply trailed off as Luna blushed a very fierce red. "What, Luna?"

"I…I'm not ready for you to be my anchor, Harry. It takes a bit to set up the ritual, and…and it's a bit different now than I expected."

"Different? You do know that didn't tell me anything, my lovely?" Harry teased, only to be surprised when she stared up at him with very wide eyes, and then buried her face into his shoulder.

"What, Luna? What is wrong?" Harry queried.

"What are _we_ now, Harry?"

"We? As in us, the two of us?"

Luna nodded into his shoulder, so Harry leaned back down and blew gently into her ear, which did get her to start and look back up at him. "Well, I know I don't have a lot of experience, but I think you are my girlfriend, and I consider us to be a couple and that I'm starting a serious relationship."

Luna looked at him again with wide eyes, and Harry took the time to thoroughly kiss his girl again. After they separated, Luna was still blushing, but now had a bit of a smile.

"Now what is the problem, Luna?"

"I didn't really expect us to become a couple at all, much less, that we would start a serious relationship, Harry." Luna then smiled bit bigger before she continued. "I am very, very glad we are, but you see, to become my anchor, as a part of the ritual, you and I have to be, um, intimate." Luna's blush came back in full force, but Harry could see her swallow, and then continue. "When we were just friends, I could handle that idea, but we are a couple now, and like you, I think it's going to be serious and I'm not ready for us to make the beast with two backs…"

Luna's voice trailed off and she looked at Harry's blank and confused expression. Blushing even more fiercely, she said, "We would have to copulate..." At Harry's continued look of confusion, Luna continued, in an exasperated voice. "Humph! Harry, we would have to have sex! Don't you know any word besides shag?"

Harry's automatic "Sorry" was followed by his giving Luna a sheepish look. "I blame the Dursleys, Ron, and our senile Headmaster."

Harry then took a moment to absorb and process what Luna had said, and smiled before modifying and delivering a cheesy line from a trashy romance of his aunt's that he had read in boredom. It seemed to fit the circumstances quite well. "Luna, when we are ready, we won't just make the beast with two backs, we will make love."

Luna's expression of annoyance melted into one of wonder, and she actually whimpered, and then buried her head back into his shoulder. Harry held his girl and waited.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Luna?"

Luna looked up again. "I have no idea where you came up with that line, but thank you, Harry." Luna took a breath and then continued. "Really, thank you, it both makes the act more important, and you agreed to wait." Luna paused. "But back to what I have been dreading, Harry, I need you to hold me tonight. As I said, I am not ready for us to become physically intimate, but because of the seeings I am going to need you to hold me."

Harry thought, and rephrased her thoughts as a question. "So you need me to hold you, but you, and I, for that matter, aren't ready to go further physically than we already have, is that right, Luna?"

At Luna's cautious nod, Harry offered up an idea. "So instead of sharing a bed, how about we sleep on the couch tonight? I know you enjoy relaxing against my side, and I know I feel comfortable with you there. We might not get as good a sleep as we would in our own beds, but I think we will get more sleep than if we suddenly found ourselves in the same bed with 'do not touch' plastered all over our thoughts."

Luna smiled as she thought that over, and then nodded firmly. "I think that will do very well, Harry. I will get a blanket and pillows, you change for bed. I'll meet you back down here in half an hour…"

**References**:

The Great Forest or Wood idea comes from "Hexwood" by Diana Wynne Jones (first printing 1993).

Some of the Druid 'powers' came from the TV show "Hercules the Legendary Journeys", the episode titled "Resurrection", which first aired in 1998.


	5. Chapter 4: The War Starts

**Chapter 4: The War Starts**

_A/N: There is a violent scene of an attempted rape in this chapter. Please be warned._

**The Morning After**

Luna slowly awoke feeling safe, warm, and, dared she think it, loved. Having Harry hold her had made all the difference in the world; her seeings had been mostly pleasant, and even when she saw her Daddy's death again, Luna had seen it with the knowledge that she was not alone. Harry Potter, her Harry, her boyfriend, had held her loosely, offering more than just physical support. He had told her he thought they were aiming towards a serious relationship, he had kissed her goodnight, and he had offered that line about making love. He had admitted a bit later it had come from a Muggle thing called a romance novel, but at the time he had said, it had been the most beautiful thing in the world. Her boyfriend didn't just want sex, he wanted her love.

Luna knew she was still cuddled against Harry, normally he would be up and fixing breakfast when she awoke, so when she opened her eyes she expected to see Harry was still sleeping; instead, Luna's eyes met the green eyes of her Harry. And her Harry was smiling.

"Morning, Harry, did you get any sleep? My sleep was much better because of you."

Anything else she might have said was stopped by his good morning kiss. Glorianna!

It was a few minutes before Luna could think again, but when she could, she looked up at Harry and smiled. "Wow, Harry!"

"Have I told you how beautiful you are, my Luna?" Harry asked.

It took several moments for that to seep in; her Harry had called her his Luna. That was wonderful, but beautiful? Luna glanced down and discovered that during the night, the blanket had fallen to the floor, and her robe had fallen open, leaving one of her breasts on display, with the other breast pressed against Harry's side.

"You aren't stupefied, Harry?" The surprised comment came out of Luna's mouth, as she re-adjusted her robe.

"No, it was a close thing though," Harry responded with a lovely grin.

"I…I'm not all that pretty, Harry. My breasts are pretty much through developing, and I…"

Harry's finger against her lips prevented her from listing the rest of her faults as she saw them.

"Who is the boyfriend here, Luna?" Harry asked, "It is the boyfriend's duty to praise all of the wonderful parts of his girlfriend. I think you are beautiful, and you have no say in that matter at all."

Harry then kissed her yet again, and this time with a bit more passion. Glorianna!, her boyfriend liked her looks! Even more important, he was kissing her!

**The First Rescue**

_A/N: Start of the violent scene_

Daphne Greengrass tried to scream and to free herself. But no sound came from her mouth, and her body was immobilized. Her worst nightmare was coming true; Draco, Vincent Crabbe, and Marcus Flint had decided to make their move. Tonight was to have been the night she, Tracey, Blaise, Draco, Greg Goyle and Vincent all took the dark mark and became Death Eaters. But Draco, in a surprise move, had taken his mark yesterday, and he wanted to celebrate by using his elevated status to 'play' with a couple of the un-marked girls. The girls he'd chosen had been Tracey and Daphne.

Draco and company had burst into their room with their wands drawn, and had disabled both of them. Daphne had been able to do nothing other than watch with growing dread and terror, as Draco had ripped her clothes away from her body. He had then painfully twisted her nipples, grabbing and pulling her breasts, before ripping her knickers off, leaving her exposed and helpless.

Now Draco had finished removing his own clothing, revealing his manhood, erect and threatening.

"You thought you would escape me, didn't you?" Draco asked fully aware that Daphne could not respond, but giving the impression that he would still like an answer. "You should know that no one makes fun of a Malfoy. Blaise has been tapped to help with the preparations for tonight, and can't help you now. Marcus, here, wanted a chance at your tart of a friend."

Draco knelt between Daphne's legs and leaned over her. "I hope this hurts, you bitch."

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

To Daphne's shock, Draco collapsed onto her. It was a close thing, she could feel his manhood, but against her thigh, not within. However, with Draco collapsed on top of her, she could not see and could only listen as two voices she knew she had heard before spoke.

_A/N: End of attempted rape_

"Oomph! Are you sure we can't levitate these idiots?" a male voice asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's work on each of them together," a female voice answered while two sets of steps came closer.

Draco's limp form was dragged down and away from Daphne's still immobilized body, leaving her to stare in shock at her rescuers, Harry Potter, and that Lovegood girl.

The Lovegood girl pulled her wand from behind her ear and cast a quick "_Finite Incantatem_!" leaving Daphne free to move. In a reaction seated in fear, Daphne scrambled away from them, and into the nearest corner where she began to search around the room for Tracey, who just like Daphne had been, was covered by her attacker.

Daphne watched as Potter and Lovegood, her wand again behind her ear, crossed to Tracey and pulled Flint down and away from her. Lovegood again waved her wand, and Tracey scuttled towards the same corner in which Daphne was crouched. Once Tracey reached her, Daphne grabbed Tracey in a death grip, Tracey doing the same to her.

The two girls then watched together while Potter and Lovegood pulled Crabbe from a sprawl of limbs that blocked the doorway. Once all three of the downed Death Eaters were in a line, Potter started checking their persons before rummaging through their clothing, and gathering their wands, while Lovegood approached Tracey and Daphne.

"Do you think you could stand up and turn around?" Lovegood asked as she stopped just short of their corner. "I have some ointment that should help with some of your injuries, but I would really rather Harry not watch. He becomes quite stupid when exposed to breasts, and I would really rather we minimize the time he is exposed to any breasts, other than mine."

It was an insane comment, from a girl most of the school considered batty, but that same girl had just helped rescue her and Tracey. Daphne glanced over at her friend, and seeing a short nod, she and Tracey stood up and faced away from Potter.

"I am glad we got here in time," Lovegood spoke in the same tone you would expect from someone speaking of the hot weather. "We ran into a couple of guards and it delayed us a bit." Lovegood slipped between Tracey and herself and with what appeared to be no care at all at what she was doing, dabbed a bit of a purple cream on one hand and then rubbed it in to one of Daphne's breasts.

Cool, the ointment felt cool, and almost immediately soothed her abused flesh, which in turn stilled Daphne's urge to start and pull away from the too familiar touch. If she had been able to speak, Daphne would have sighed a heartfelt thank you to the smaller blonde. The ointment was then applied to her other breast, with the same result. Before Lovegood could turn and apply the same ointment to Tracey, Daphne touched Lovegood's shoulder and at her inquiring look, Daphne pointed to her throat and tried speaking.

"You're still silenced? I thought that would be dispelled with the _Petrificus Totalus_." Lovegood again pulled her wand from behind her ear and cast a couple more _Finite Incantatems_.

"Thank you, Lovegood, and what is that cream? It feels wonderful," Daphne asked quietly. "Let her smear it on you Tracey, it works."

"Oh, you don't know my name yet, do you?" Lovegood said, her wand already back behind her ear, and rubbing the cream of wonders into one of Tracey's breasts. "I am Luna; please do not call me Loony."

"Since you and Potter just prevented us from being raped, I'm pretty sure I won't be calling you Loony," Tracey said just as quietly as Daphne had, "and I second the question, what is that cream?"

"Oh this?" Luna held the ointment as she finished applying it to Tracey's other breast. "It seems I was a bit forceful while nursing and Mum created this to ease her discomfort."

"If I live to have children, I'm going to want the recipe for this wondrous stuff," Daphne said. "Speaking of living, are you and Potter going to be able to get us away from here?"

The ointment of wonders disappeared into the bag at Luna's waist, and her wand was again pulled from her ear. Daphne watched as Luna first _Accio_ Malfoy's and Flint's robes and then transfigured them into fluffy white robes. Luna then helped each girl discard what was left of their clothing and to put on the robes.

"Yes, we have a plan to get you two and one other away from here today, but you should know, that for the plan to work, you two plus the other must trust Harry and I," Luna explained as she worked.

As Luna finished helping Daphne into her robe, Harry came over with all of the wands he'd appropriated, which included Tracey and Daphne's stolen wands. "All three are marked, Luna, and I've laid out the bags," Harry remarked before turning to face Daphne and Tracey. "I'm sorry it took us so long to get here. We had intended to be in a position to catch them as they broke into this room."

"Luna mentioned that you ran into some guards," Tracey said, as all four of them moved over to the three still unconscious Death Eaters. "Malfoy and Crabbe took their marks just yesterday."

"_Stupefy, Stupefy, Stupefy."_ Harry cast the spells again, even though the three would-be rapists had shown no sign of waking. "I know you said I can't help with this, Luna, but Davis and Greengrass may."

"Help with what?" Daphne asked as she watched Luna hunch her shoulders and kneel beside Draco.

"Killing them." Luna's quiet response surprised Daphne. "Harry needs to be able to swear that the only Death Eaters he killed were ones with wands in their hands that were trying to kill him. I, on the other hand, don't expect that anyone will ask who I killed."

Daphne glanced at Tracey, and then both nodded.

"Tee and I will definitely help then, Luna. She and I will be blamed for their deaths anyway, and those bastards came way too close to succeeding today. You take Crabbe, Luna, I am going to deal with prince Malfoy, and Tee would love to destroy dear Marcus."

Luna stared at her and then Tracey for a short time, and then she scooted over to where Vincent lay. "Take the plastic bags Harry has laid out, pick them up and place them over their heads, like this."

Both girls observed carefully as Luna picked up a clear material that seemed to turn into a large bag, which she then pulled over Crabbe's head. Luna in turn watched Daphne and Tracey as they fumbled a bit but got the bags into position. "Next, gather the plastic bag around the neck, and use this tape to secure the bag. We don't want the tape to be too tight, just enough to secure the bag."

"It doesn't have to be totally airtight, just nearly so. We don't want there to be any marks around the neck when we are all done," Harry interjected while Tracey and Daphne watched Luna's actions. "Think of it like a bubble-head charm that doesn't refresh the air. If anyone checks, it will be shown that no magic was used in their deaths."

"What are these bags, Potter?" Daphne asked, "I've never seen anything like them."

"They are a Muggle thing," Harry answered, while first Tracey and then Daphne taped the bags in place. "They are generally used in food storage and preparation. A Muggle's food will spoil if it is not stored correctly."

"Now what?" Tracey asked the question Daphne had be about to ask.

"Now we wait for our third," Luna answered. "These three will die without waking in a couple of minutes. Before we all leave we will remove the tape and the bags, leaving confusion about how and why they died."

Daphne jumped as the door crashed open, and Blaise entered with eyes of flint and an expression of pure anger on his face. Following Blaise was one more, the sight of whom had Luna and Harry Potter both pulling out their wands…

**Introductions **

Harry owl flew down to the ground and transformed back into his human shape, and then he looked back at the four owls still perched on the temporary stand he and Luna had set up just outside the reserve's entrance.

"Just a second and I will be ready for you," Harry said as he dug out his wand from his bag. Wand in hand, Harry knelt down and disillusioned the package he and Luna had prepared. Grabbing the largest of the robes, he looked back up to the four perched owls. "Okay, Zabini, I am ready for you, come on down."

The darkest of the four owls flapped his wings and did a credible glide into a rough landing.

"Don't worry, I don't take off points for style, Zabini; I had the same issues during my first flight," Harry said as he used his wand to cancel the owl medallion. Harry then held the robe open and helped the freshly transformed boy into it.

"Potter, I don't know what to say about this. You and Lovegood are doing things I didn't think were possible, and you are doing them with ease."

"I think you can all call me Harry, and you can blame all of the fancy magic on Luna, or rather the Lovegood library," Harry explained before turning back to the perch. "Next?"

One of the remaining owls flapped her wings and made a shaky glide down to the ground. Harry picked up the next robe and shook it open, before he again canceled the medallion to allow the owl to transform into a wide eyed Tracey Davis. Harry helped her into her waiting robe and stood stiffly, in surprise, as the girl hugged him.

"I agree with Blaise, Harry, this escape plan was amazing. For that matter flying as owls like we did was very, very, well the word great does not really apply, but it's the best I can come up with right now."

"You're welcome, Davis…" Harry started only to be interrupted.

"Tee, Harry, you can call me Tracey, or my friends call me Tee. After saving my butt and more today, you and Luna have earned the right to call me by my first name at the least."

"Then you're welcome, Tee. Now one more to go, and we are pretty sure who this owl is."

Harry grabbed the last robe and shook it open while the third owl left Hedwig on the perch and glided down to a shaky landing. A few seconds later, and Daphne was tying the belt of her robe.

"I have to second Tee's statement, Harry, I enjoyed flying as an owl greatly. I'm not fond of most of the diminutives that can be made from my name, so please call me Daphne." Daphne paused for a second before also giving Harry a quick hug and then released him and asked in a serious tone. "Harry, why are you clothed and none of us are? I did notice you did a very creditable job of not paying attention to our unclothed state, but you and Lovegood both have clothes when you changed back from being an owl."

Harry grimaced as he tried to answer Daphne's question. "The short answer is that we didn't have time. For the long answer; Luna explains it much better than I can, but to create a multi-use medallion that includes clothes, you have to make it yourself. I was only able to make one for me, and when I tried to research the reasons, the book got way over my head very quickly. Anyway it took me a couple of days after I learned how to make a medallion to create the one I'm using."

"Will we be able to make one of these multi-use medallions for ourselves?" Daphne asked with both Blaise and Tracey echoing the same thought almost in concert.

"Yes, and I am working on an improved version as well," Harry said as he turned and whistled. After Hedwig transferred herself to his shoulder, he dismissed the perch, not noticing the shock on three faces at his casual use of a spell none of them had seen before. Harry then led the three of them over to the closed entrance to the reserve.

"The reason we haven't offered you anything but a robe has to do with what comes next. Luna's family has a, well, an artifact is the best way to describe it. If anyone has put any traces or charms on you, this archway will remove them. If you are wearing anything, what you are wearing will be shredded as you go through. It is easier to just go ahead and walk through without clothing. Luna made me go though skyclad, and made me promise to make sure each of you went through the archway the same way. It'll be easier on all of us if you follow the Lovegood tradition, and take off your robe before you go through. You may put your robe back on just as soon as you are finished."

Harry had reached the entrance to the reserve, and paused. "This is so fascinating, watch this."

- - (( )) - -

_Elsewhere at the same time_

Luna had never been to this Lovegood property before, but now that she had seen it, Luna was planning on using it for any number of things. It was a smallish place, comfortable for only a small family, it was close to a small Muggle town, and most important, it had a floo connection.

Luna turned to her companion and remembered how shocked she had been when he had followed Zabini into the room.

_Luna was cursing to herself as Greg Goyle followed Zabini into the room where she, Harry, Daphne, Tracey, and the three dying Death Eaters were. Tracey threw herself at Zabini, while Greg had stared in shock at two of the people he had been so closely associated. His shock had given Harry enough time to react, and Greg had fallen back against the door frame and slid down it to the floor, stunned by Harry's 'Stupefy'. _

_Luna and Harry had dragged Goyle all of the way inside the room, and had closed the door, after quickly checking to see if anyone else was lurking in the hallway outside. She had then turned to watch as Zabini had kissed Tracey in a manner that left Luna curling her own toes. She had no idea what it was doing to Tracey. _

_The kiss done, Zabini had turned toward her and in a choked voice and said, "Thank you! You saved Tee." _

_"He is not marked," Luna then heard Harry say from the floor where he was checking Goyle. "We haven't thought about what to do with someone who is not marked."_

_"He wants out, just like I do, Potter," Zabini volunteered. "He attached himself to me yesterday afternoon, and when I asked why he wasn't following Malfoy around like he normally did, his answer rather surprised me." Zabini had slipped out of Tracey's arms and was checking Daphne while he spoke. "Are you okay as well, Daphne?" Zabini had asked, and at Daphne's nod, he turned back to Harry. "It seems he is rather taken with Millie Bulstrode, and she had sent him a letter saying that according to Millie's great aunt, if Greg would abandon Malfoy and follow me, there would be a chance he would get out of here without being marked. If he could get to a floo while he was unmarked, she would be waiting for him and would be able to hide him."_

Luna thought it was a good thing she and Harry had made that spare medallion. But they had needed to re-think their plans. All of them had rejoined Hedwig, and left Malfoy Manor as owls, and once outside the wards, Harry had transported his snakes to the reserve, while Luna had brought Greg to this place, and was now watching as he threw the floo powder into the freshly lit fireplace.

"Long's Crystal," Greg said before sticking his head into the now safe flames. "Millie? Are you there?"

Luna watched as she was only able to hear one side of Greg's conversation.

"Yes, I did as you suggested and followed Blaise."

"No, I am not marked, it was to happen tonight. Draco was quite put out that I didn't want to take the mark early."

"We won't have to worry about Draco, Millie, he is dead. He and Vince, and Flint are all dead."

"No, I didn't do it. Did you know Lovegood and Potter were going to be the ones that pulled us all out of there?"

"Blaise, Davis, and Greengrass."

"According to Davis, they arrived in the nick of time, and foiled both attempts."

"As owls, Millie, it was amazing to fly like that."

"Yes we all were owls… All of us."

"Once were away from that place we all crash landed at a huge tree and Potter and Lovegood changed back, and kissed, and then Potter grabbed the three, Blaise, Davis, and Greengrass owls, and they melted into the tree. Lovegood then grabbed me, and the next thing I knew, we were outside this smallish place. Lovegood made me a wizard again, and led me to this fireplace."

"Okay, I will tell her."

Greg pulled his head from the fireplace and turned to Luna. "Lovegood, Millie wants to say something to you."

Luna knelt down and, putting her own head through the flames, found herself staring at a room much like the one she was in: dirty and apparently not lived in. Staring at her were Millicent Bulstrode and an elderly, crone like, lady she had not met before.

"We owe you, Lovegood, for getting my Greg out of that place," Millicent said. "We will let him through to here, and we will disappear until you need us. Aunt Longs has promised to make sure we are not found until then."

The older lady smiled a moment at her great niece, before turning to Luna. "Tis a hard road you're trying to travel, and I can't help much, but I will say this to you, be sure to tell your man how to call me here. I will be able to help him find you, once you become both his and lost."

"Yes ma'am," Luna responded. "I hope, I will be able to see you again, I think you have much you can teach me."

"You seem to be doing very well all on your own, youngling. But after it is all over, I will do what I can. Remember what I told you, however, it is very important, both for you and for the downfall to come," came the cryptic response.

Luna pulled her head from the fire and wished Greg well, and once he was through the floo, she put out the fire and slipped out of the house. It was time to rejoin Harry, her boyfriend.

**Dismissals**

Luna had just closed the entrance to the reserve when she heard a scream. Pulling out her wand, she raced through the tunnels to the room holding the archway. There she found Harry, his wand drawn, looking at the archway in shock. Blaise was staggering away from the archway unclothed and seemed totally focused on his left arm, which was a bloody mess.

As Luna watched, Tracey threw a robe over Blaise and was supporting his efforts to get away from the archway. Daphne grabbed Blaise's hurt arm and was casting even as the three were moving. The snakes appeared hurt but safe, so Luna focused her attention on the archway.

There were no less than six charms captured by the field, five of them were small and could easily be countered with a _Finite Incantatem_, but the sixth reminded Luna of the Horcrux although it was much smaller. Like the Horcrux, it was black and had tentacles that were writhing about.

As Luna ran over to Harry's side, he glanced over at her and gave her a sickly grin. "I think we are going to need to know a bit more about those dark marks, Luna."

"Yes, I think you are right," Luna responded while continuing to watch the thing that had been caught in the field. "It is much smaller, and doesn't seem to be able to 'feed' on the other charms. I therefore don't think that it's a piece of Tom's soul, but rather, the start of a connection that would tie Blaise's soul to Tom's."

"So how the Bloody Hell do we get rid of that thing?" Blaise interjected, having reached the location where Harry and Luna stood.

"I think a _Finite Incantatem_ for each of the smaller charms first, just to be sure it can't feed. Then a standard dismissal," Luna replied as she turned her attention to Blaise, "I am going to want to know when that thing was attached to you. But first I think it would be wise to 'kill' it. Can you cast at all right now?"

"No, I don't think I can, at least not just yet," Blaise replied. "I could feel that thing pull at my core when it was pulled from my arm."

Luna nodded and turned, "Daphne, could you cancel those smaller charms? A simple _Finite Incantatem_ should work on them."

Since Daphne already had her wand out, she nodded and cautiously crept towards the archway, until she felt surer of her aim and a quick five castings later, only the black mass remained. Daphne then quickly scrambled back to the perceived safety next to Harry.

"My turn next," Harry said as he grinned at Luna. "I had hoped to have a slightly better greeting for you when you got back."

"Dismissals now, kisses later, Harry!" Luna replied in an exasperated voice, even as she enjoyed the thought that her boyfriend still wanted to kiss her after seeing Tracey and Daphne naked.

"Yes, dear," Harry smirked, and then he raised his wand and cast. "_Dimittere!__"_

As before, when they had dismissed the Horcrux a multicolored sphere sped from Harry's wand to the targeted black spell mass. Likewise when the two spells intersected, there was a popping sound, and the black spell mass disappeared. Unlike the Horcrux, however, nothing remained caught inside the field this time, and Blaise gave a grunt.

_"_I felt that…" Blaise paused, and continued, "but I am feeling well better, or cleaner somehow."

"What was that spell?" Tracey and Daphne asked, nearly at the same time, as both were still looking at the now empty field.

"You did a good job on Blaise, Daphne," Luna said as she inspected Blaise's arm, "and the spell Harry cast was a Dismissal. Very little magic we are taught at Hogwarts will counter the kind of soul magic Tom is using. While Dismissals don't generally interact with anything but magic, they are very good at canceling the magic our normal spells won't touch."

Luna turned towards Tracey, and took the couple of steps she required to stand next to the wide eyed girl. "Much as I really don't like asking it of you, it would be best if you and Daphne get that nasty bit of magic out of you now…"

**First Night**

Harry sat down onto the couch heavily, and let out a big sigh. But he smiled fondly as Luna sat down gracefully next to him, and then, with no concern about the three people now starting to sit in a newly transfigured and larger couch across from them, Luna snuggled against his side.

"Tracey? What?" Blaise started as Tracey taking her cue from Luna snuggled in the dark skinned boy.

"Hush, Blaise," Tracey cut off his protest, "it has been a very long day, and I need this."

Daphne waited until Tracey was comfortable before she leaned into Blaise's other side. "I'm grateful you are offering me a little friendly contact with no demands." She sighed. "It has been a _very, very_, long day."

Harry had to agree, both Tracey and Daphne had also had that black soul magic ripped out of their arms as they went through the cleansing field. Once they were all in the house, Harry had prepared dinner while Luna had worked her magic on the mangled arms of her guests.

Daphne then looked over at Harry and Luna. "We are all sore and tired, but can you please give us a short explanation? I'm so glad you showed up when you did, but how did you know that you should, and why would you two care about a couple of Slytherins that helped make your lives uncomfortable at school?"

"Luna's dad was killed before she got home from school," Harry started to explain, "and the shock of seeing his dead body on top of the other stresses from the school year awoke a seer's gift in her."

Daphne and Blaise looked more focused at that, and Tracey let out a quiet snore to indicate she wasn't paying any attention to the conversation.

"As a part of the first use of her new 'gift', Luna saw a way to prevent a lot of innocent people from dying in the coming months. Getting me away from where I generally spend my summers was one step in that plan. Saving you three before you became Death Eaters, was another step. Luna and I are hoping you will be willing to help us fight against Voldemort. According to Luna's plan we are going to need to kill as many of the Death Eaters as we can."

"Dumbledore wouldn't have approved of that plan," Daphne remarked after a moment. "He is totally against that kind of action."

"I expect you are correct," Luna answered, speaking for the first time in a while, "but I didn't ask his opinion. As far as Harry and I are concerned, our senile Headmaster is as much of a problem as Tom. We just won't be able to go around killing the old fool's followers, like we can with Tom's."

"Um? Tom's?" asked Daphne. "Who is Tom?"

"Most of magical Britain knows him as Lord Voldemort, but his birth name is Tom Riddle," Harry answered, and he then showed them the magical anagram that came from Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Blaise and Daphne both stared in shock for a moment before Blaise shook his head and put the conversation back on track.

"So this is not a part of a scheme by the 'Leader of the Light?'" Blaise asked.

"No, Dumbledore would love to get his hands back on me, but that would be to lock me up to keep me isolated," Harry replied.

"Dumbledore has been stealing from Harry's Trust vault for several years," Luna continued. "We plan on avoiding him for as long as we can."

"I think we are going to want to sleep on what you have told us," Blaise said with a yawn, and then looking down at the girl against his side, he smiled. "We will need to tell Tee about what you said in the morning. Can we discuss this again after breakfast?"

Harry and Luna agreed, and forcing their tired bodies to work, they got up and helped the three snakes to the rooms that had been prepared.

Then after a shorter than normal session of kissing, Harry and Luna separated to go to their own beds.


	6. Chapter 5: First Strikes

**A/N:**

There has been a lot of questions about what was pulled from the arms of Tee, Blaise and Daphne. I hope this note will help

I am using the idea that the dark mark is put on in stages, and the first stage which I'm currently calling a pre-mark, can be put on people without their consent, or even knowledge.

What was pulled from the snakes was this pre-mark.

A full dark mark actually ties the soul of the marked to the Dark Lord. This allows the Dark Lord to directly influence the marked. The Dark Lord can still influence someone that is pre-marked, but not as completely.

Someone can not receive a full mark unwillingly, but, someone with a pre-mark can be influenced into agreeing to take the dark mark.

The moles at the Ministry likely all are pre-marked.

I hope this helps some.

Alan

**Chapter 5: First Strikes**

**Talk and Plans**

As Tracey, Daphne, and Blaise came downstairs after a more restful sleep than any of them had expected, they found Harry bent over some close work in a large room that seemed to be set up as a workroom, a couple of benches and wooden high backed chairs surrounded three good sized wooden tables. A largely empty bookshelf could be seen against the far wall from the door, and a small stack of books lay beside Harry. After waiting a couple of moments for Harry to notice them, Blaise coughed.

"Good morning, you three," Harry answered the cough with no surprise, and without looking up. "I am in the middle of a very tricky bit of work, and will be with you in just a moment. There is nothing secret here, so come on over if you want to watch."

Thus invited, the three Slytherins entered the room and came over to watch as Harry seemed to draw several runes on top of each other on a narrow strip of leather. Having been warned that he was in the middle of a tricky bit of work, they remained silent as they watched.

After no less than three additional runes had been added to the leather, Harry put down the stylus he was using and looked up. "Luna was still sleeping when I checked on her, but I expect that as breakfast is made, she will follow her nose downstairs like she often has while we have been here."

"I admit I am very hungry, Pott...um...Harry," said Tracey, "What can we do to help?"

"Do any of you know much about cooking?" Harry asked.

"Tee is the only one of us that can manage to not burn boiling water," Blaise teased his girlfriend, only for said girlfriend to elbow him firmly in the ribs.

"Then while Tee and I start breakfast, I will leave you two with a couple of books to study." Harry turned to Tracey. "But the book I expect you want to start with will go to you after breakfast."

"The book on the medallions?" Tracey asked.

"Yep," Harry answered, "the book on the medallions. Now to be honest all three of you will need to read several books completely, assuming you have decided to stay and help. But a single day's studying will not give away enough of our secrets for it to matter if you decide that you can't stomach either the killing or working against Voldemort."

Tracey spoke as Harry handed two books to Daphne and Blaise. "I have some questions for Luna before I will be able to decide if I will be able to stay."

"Actually I've decided," Blaise announced. "No matter if Tee or Daphne wants to stay or not, I plan on helping you. What the Dark Lord wants isn't something I want to be a part of. Tee would be a second class person, assuming she was even allowed to live, and that is something I can't accept."

That kind of declaration could only be answered by Tracey giving Blaise a fairly improper kiss. Then Tracey re-joined Harry beside the door he was opening, and the two of them left the room.

As Harry predicted, Luna showed up just as the smell of bacon cooking began filling the house. While the five of them ate, they all planned their day.

"I promised to drop by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to explain the pensieve memories the Goblins provided, and to answer any questions," Harry started the conversation.

"That will be good, Harry. You will see the senile Headmaster when you are just about to leave, but don't talk to him; he's going to get himself into trouble, and if you say anything, it's going to ruin everything," Luna added to Harry's plan. "I need to be here to answer any questions our new friends might have, and once those questions are answered, we will follow pretty much the same routine that you and I followed, Harry, so when you get back you should be able to rejoin us without disrupting anything important."

Daphne took up the thread of conversation. "You are correct. Luna, Tee and I have some questions about the plans you and Harry have made. The most important question has to do with our families. Our dads are marked Death Eaters, and neither of us feel like we could actively try to kill them."

Tracey nodded, and added another line of questions as well. "Who is in charge of this plan, and how much say will we have in the making of long term plans?"

"Luna, you weren't downstairs yet, but, no matter what Tee and Daphne decide, you can count on my help." Blaise completed the turn around the table.

"I can answer at least one of Tee's questions. Luna is in charge, not me," Harry said as it was his turn again. "She has the master plan, which we will share to all who decide to help us. Knowing the objective, she and I would brain-storm and work out a more detailed plan. So while Luna is in charge, she does accept ideas that will help us reach our objectives more safely."

"I will work to prevent you from needing to fight any of your personal friends and/or family," Luna said responding to Daphne's major concern. "Before we go into any major fights, I hope to be able to tell you who we will most likely be facing. There can be some variances, but if we need to all be there, we will come up with a plan to keep you away from your family members." Luna paused and then turned back to Harry. "Harry, I think you need to leave now."

Harry smiled at his girlfriend, and leaning over to her, he gave Luna a kiss, and then stood. "Who am I to complain? It will get me out of clean up duty for today." As Harry left the room, he heard both Tracey and Daphne speak.

"You really are in charge, aren't you," and "Harry Potter dating Luna Lovegood. How long has that been going on?"

**The Start of a Very Bad Day**

Albus Dumbledore was becoming quite impatient. He had arrived at Gringotts over an hour ago, and was not used to having to cool his heels while waiting to withdraw Harry's school fees for the upcoming year. In a couple of weeks he would repeat the process, and then just before school actually started, all of the students with vaults would have the fees withdrawn, including Harry's vault again.

Molly Weasley was very happy that the Weasley vault did not have to pay for her two youngest children to attend Hogwarts, and, since Harry was expected to die inside of the next two years, it was unlikely that he would even notice some money was missing. Furthermore, The Greater Good was best served by having the youngest Weasleys close to young Mr. Potter.

Still Albus was not used to this lack of service; in the past he would have been in and out of the bank within half an hour…

"Headmaster Dumbledore?" A goblin interrupted Albus' thoughts. "We are ready for you now, please follow me."

"Yes, yes, this is taking too long. I am going to be late to other appointments at this rate," the aged man with nearly more titles than years complained. "This isn't the normal route to the vaults…"

"Ah, you see, Headmaster, there is some business that you, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, must be made aware of," the goblin explained with a very big smile, showing all of this sharp teeth. "I am told it must be taken care of before we can allow any other transactions. Here we are, Headmaster." The goblin opened a golden door and escorted Albus inside a large oval shaped room with dark wood paneling and an oval table that matched both the size of the room and was made of the same dark wood.

There were four goblin guards stationed throughout the room, and at the head of this table sat two goblins, one of whom, was both the largest goblin Albus had ever seen, and who was wearing a huge amount of gold.

"Please be seated, wizard," the large goblin said, "you may address me as _Tribus Praesieo_. It is my honor to be the sub chief in charge of this branch of Gringotts."

As he sat in a nearby chair, Albus nodded politely to the speaking goblin - it would do no good to antagonize this creature.

"I have been informed that you have requested access to the Potter Trust vault."

"Yes, I wish to withdraw Harry's tuition for this school year." Albus spoke for the first time since entering the room.

"I am afraid you no longer have access to that vault, wizard, since you have already withdrawn eight years worth of tuition. Your request for even more has triggered a full audit of your usage of that vault. You are hereby notified that until you bring us the proof that the funds were used to benefit the sole remaining Potter heir, you are refused all access to the Potter Trust vault. Furthermore, Gringotts is notifying the Hogwarts Board of Governors that we are reclaiming three years of tuition, plus interest and penalties."

Albus sat shocked for a moment, before he rallied. "As Mr. Potter's magical guardian, I have the right to access Mr. Potter's vault. I will be demanding my right to access that gold."

"Wizard, the Potter vault in question is a _Trust_ vault, and Trust vaults fall under specific rules. The funds withdrawn from the Potter Trust vault must be used on behalf of the Potter heir. I have spoken with Mr. Potter, and he has received five years of schooling from your school. He has no knowledge of any other benefits, and has approved no additional expenditures."

"Harry was here?" Albus was surprised enough to ask, forgetting for the moment that he had just been accused of improperly using Harry's funds. "When was he here? Where is he now? As his magical guardian, I demand an answer!" Any other requests were cut off suddenly when Albus felt the two goblin guards that had been behind him place their halberds against his back.

"Speak with respect to the _Tribus Praesieo__,_ thief!"

As outraged as Albus was, this was not the time to try and fight back. "I apologize,_Tribus Praesieo__, _Harry has gone missing, and I am concerned about his safety."

"You need no longer worry about Mr. Potter's safety, wizard. I personally spoke with the Potter heir a couple of days ago when he visited Gringotts in the company of the head of a respected family. In fact, Headmaster, in light of the demonstrable irregularities found in your usage of the Potter Trust vault, and your continued requirement that Mr. Potter live in an abusive environment, Mr. Potter has filed a request for a change in guardianship.

Mr. Potter has sent the evidence of both the abuse at the location you required Mr. Potter to live, and your excessive withdrawals from his vault, to your Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They responded by agreeing to temporarily grant Mr. Potter's guardianship to the same Head of Family that brought Mr. Potter to the bank."

The color from Albus' face drained as he thought about the ramifications of Harry's actions. Now Albus was going to be asked by the Board as to why three years of tuition (plus interest and penalties) were going to be reclaimed by the goblins. Since Albus had been siphoning off the money for his own ends, when the Board checked the Hogwarts' student account, they would see that the balance was correct down to the last sickle.

Albus' most serious issue, however, was Harry's change of guardianship. Not only did it remove Harry from Albus' control, but it would also likely mean that Albus may well be facing questions he did not want to answer. But he was about to discover that his problems did not end there.

The_Tribus Praesieo_ had been watching Albus' expression and he landed one more blow. "Headmaster, the current guardian of Mr. Potter has agreed with him that attending a school run by the man that has stolen so much from him would cause some friction. I am therefore authorized to tell you that Mr. Potter has withdrawn from Hogwarts, pending the results of the investigation by both Gringotts and the DMLE."

There was a short pause before the large goblin spoke again. "Guards, please escort this thief from the bank, and do not treat him with the respect he feels he is owed while doing so."

**The Day Gets Worse**

Being thrown from a bank was not the way Albus had planned to start his day. As he picked himself up and dusted himself off, Albus started to think about the issues he now faced. It did not help things that the bank's lobby had been pretty full of people; the same normal everyday wizards and witches that usually could be counted on to follow whatever path he chose. It was time for some serious damage control.

The first problem was the Board of Governors. If he did not short circuit any chance that they could censure him, he could be forced from his position at Hogwarts, and that would cause untold damage, not only to his plans for The Greater Good, but also to Albus' bank accounts.

Most witches and wizards were sure that the Dumbledore family was an old family, well off but not rich. What that they didn't know was that by living at Hogwarts year round, Albus was able to live totally at the school's expense. Since his first year as headmaster, Albus had not had to make any withdrawals from his vault, only deposits, and that allowed for a very pleasant pile of gold.

When Binns had died, Albus had put himself in charge of the ghostly instructor's salary. He couldn't just add it to his own vault, but by making himself one of the people that could make withdrawals, he was able to use Binns' vault for most of the incidental expenditures, like bribes, he needed to make. The gold in Binns' vault would just barely cover the three years of tuition he now found himself needing. Once that was repaid, the Board of Governors would have no reason to investigate further.

Albus squared his shoulders and slipped back into the bank to make the required transfers from Binns' vault to the Hogwarts vault. Once the funds had been grudgingly transferred by a less than cooperative Goblin, Albus headed back to the Ministry building. One issue down, but now that his emergency funds were mostly exhausted, he would be left with few options for dealing with the now major problem that was named Harry Potter. He needed to ascertain how much damage his wayward student had caused. Speaking of Harry, there he was, standing in front of the Ministry floo.

"Harry! Wait! I need to speak with you!"

Harry had glanced in his direction, and reached for the floo powder. Albus pulled his wand, but before he could _Accio_ the Boy-Trying-to-Escape, Albus found himself on the floor with no clear recollection of how he got there.

As Albus took stock, he found himself looking down the business end of no less than three wands. It appeared his day had just taken another turn for the worse.

"Albus Dumbledore..."

One of the wands he was looking down belonged to Amelia Bones; not one of the people in the Ministry he considered as his own.

"The goblins notified me that you were informed that you no longer had a legal tie to Mister Potter. Pulling your wand on him just now was not a wise move."

"I need to speak to Harry about..."

"You need to speak to _Mister Potter_ about nothing," Madam Bones interrupted, "You, however, do need to speak to me and my department about the charges Mister Potter has brought against you."

"Amelia..."

Albus was interrupted again. "That is _Madam Bones_ to you right now, and "you, Mister Dumbledore, are in a lot of trouble."

Madam Bones looked at the bulky man beside her. "Thomas, please escort our guest into my office, he and I need to talk..."

**Decisions**

Harry exited the floo at the new Lovegood house Luna had discovered, and after using his medallion to assume his owl shape, it was a short flight to a large tree, and from there he traveled via the Great Forest to just outside the Lovegood Reserve. In minutes, Harry had crossed hundreds of miles, most of them in a manner the senile Headmaster didn't know about. As Harry approached the house that actually sat inside the reserve, he found Luna, Tracey, Daphne, and Blaise all doing some light exercise outside the house. Harry smiled as he took his place beside his girlfriend, as it seemed that with all three of their new friends present, it meant that all were planning to stay and help.

– – (()) – –

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts and tried to contain his growing anger. Harry Potter had done a fine job of messing up Albus' plans. The discussion with Madam Bones had been short but very pointed. Albus was now a part of a criminal investigation. Since none of the charges against him were for violence, Albus had been granted sixty days to answer the charges. Madam Bones would have preferred not giving him that much time, but because the Goblins were involved, the treaties with the Goblins determined the time she had to provide him. In the meantime, Albus had been informed that any attempts to contact or influence Mr. Potter would result in an instant prison sentence. For now, Harry had slipped his leash, and Albus could be sure Harry did not plan on ever accepting his proper place in Albus' plans for The Greater Good.

– – (()) – –

Hermione was becoming desperate, not a single day went by without someone sending an owl, or, now that they were home again, coming up to the house, or and asking if she had seen Harry. Ron, of all people, had actually written her three times already, asking if she had heard anything new about her missing friend.

– – (()) – –

Amelia Bones sat down to dinner with her ward and niece, Susan. Her discussions with Harry Potter and the Headmaster of Hogwarts had left more questions in Amelia's mind than answers. If Susan could not put some of Amelia's concerns to rest, it was likely that Susan would need to be sent to a different school.

– – (()) – –

Narcissa Malfoy was angry and was in mourning. Her worthless husband had told her last night that Draco was dead; killed by some recruits for the Dark Lord that had backed out of the _honor_ just before they were to be marked. But since Draco had himself just been marked, and the Dark Lord was still staying, the DMLE could not be called to investigate.

But Narcissa thought she knew better. Some discreet questioning had given her the names of the three people that had escaped being marked: Greengrass, Zabini, and Davis. Two of them were very attractive young women that Draco had often complained would not give Draco his expected due. Narcissa had learnt that Draco had died while trying to abuse guests in her house. While Greengrass and Davis may have killed Draco, Narcissa was sure that the person at fault was her husband, for Lucius had been filling Draco's head with the false importance of the Malfoy family for years.

Narcissa knew only too well about the Malfoy family's delusions of grandeur and expectance of dues. She had been sold to Malfoy by her father, and had subsequently been forced to provide Malfoy with an heir. Since Malfoy had destroyed his heir, her son, Narcissa had been provided a window of opportunity to get away from him. But to do so, Narcissa needed to get to the Goblins to determine who the new Head of the Black family was going to be. Sirius had given all of his possessions to that Potter boy, but Sirius couldn't bequeath the Head of the Black Family; that was determined by inheritance, and could only be passed to oldest living male.

– – (()) – –

Daphne carefully watched Harry as he and Luna worked together to fix dinner. The day had been exhausting, and fulfilling at the same time. But Daphne had become concerned about the blonde Ravenclaw that had been teaching the three ex-Slytherins. It was obvious that Luna had fallen hard for Harry. But watching Harry and Luna work together while making dinner had eased Daphne's mind somewhat. Harry was showing all the signs of being just as taken by Luna.

The rest of Hogwarts' students didn't really know all of the things that went on behind the scenes in Slytherin. Every student in the school was discussed, sometimes as often as weekly. It was with some shame that Daphne realized that none of the Slytherin students, including herself, had guessed at how important Luna Lovegood would be. The, dare she say it, Loony person at school could still be seen as a shadow in the young woman she was watching. But Luna had grown into the general that would destroy anyone that subscribed to Voldemort's … er … Tom's philosophy.

– – (()) – –

Luna was watching Harry as he sat with the three newer members of their household. They hadn't reached the stage where they could tease each other yet, but Harry was talking and listening, really listening to all that Tracey, Daphne and Blaise had to say.

Harry, Harry, Harry. Every day she found Luna was thinking more about Harry. And Harry was paying her more and more attention. Tomorrow was going to be an important day. Harry, had created a plan to contact Granger, to see if she would be willing to join his side. Luna was expecting that Granger wouldn't respond well to this test, and wanted to see how Harry reacted. If Harry was devastated, then Luna would have to re-think her relationship with Harry, otherwise tomorrow might see them going a bit further.

**Hermione's First Choice**

Except for worrying about Harry, Hermione had been having a good summer. Her mum and dad had taken some time off from their dentistry practice, and the three Grangers had spent an enjoyable week in France. They had just returned home yesterday, and this morning Hermione was planning on spending several hours catching up on her letter writing, both magical and non-magical. She was just sitting down at her desk when a fluttering could be heard at her window. Getting up she went to her window to let in the owl, only to be pleasantly surprised.

"Hedwig! I am so glad to see you, Harry has gone missing, and I have been so worried. Let me get Harry's letter."

The letter was of a disappointing size, being more of a note than a letter, and a reply must not have been expected, as Hedwig flew out of the still open window to perch on a tree just outside her window. At least Hedwig hadn't flown further away. So Hermione sat back down and opened her note from the missing Harry Potter.

_'Hermione,_

_I am sure you have been told that I am no longer staying with the Dursleys, and that I left without permission. However, I have discovered that the Senile Headmaster, also known as Albus Dumbledore, has been less than forthcoming to me. I have taken steps to remove myself from his sphere of influence. _

_The short story is that our Headmaster has been stealing from me, and by requiring me to return to the Dursleys every year after being made aware of how I was treated while under their care was illegal. _

_The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has assigned me a new magical guardian while I take Dumbledore to court for his treatment of me._

_Now comes the hard part of this note. I am sure you want to tell any number of people that I have contacted you. If you value our friendship, do not contact anyone until you have given me a chance to explain what I have found and what my plans are in person. I cannot allow myself to be caught by any of Dumbledore's group for some time. I honestly believe they would stoop to kidnapping me in order to have their way._

_The next step is yours, Hermione. If you can keep the news that I have contacted you to yourself, I will be in touch shortly._

_Your Friend,_

_Harry.'_

Hermione stared at the note, and then re-read it from top to bottom, twice. Then she sat at her desk to think about it. Harry, it seemed, had not been taken against his wishes. He also did not seem to be in trouble, and the note, while brief, had given her several things to consider. First was Harry's accusation against their Headmaster. Hermione had heard some of the reasons the Headmaster wanted Harry to stay with the Dursleys, and while she didn't like them, they did make sense to her. Harry's accusation of theft was more worrisome, but she felt there might be reasons for an appearance of stealing but until she had a chance to bring Dumbledore and Harry together to discuss both sides of the issues, she would not be able to determine how valid Harry's accusations were. The idea of Dumbledore kidnapping Harry, Hermione dismissed out of hand.

Having decided to try to get her friend and her respected teacher together to talk out their differences, Hermione felt she could ignore the warning at the end of Harry's letter. He would forgive her for any transgressions.

This therefore changed the letters she needed to write.

– – (()) – –

Harry owl sat perched on the tree branch next to Hedwig watching as Hermione figuratively threw his request to keep his contacting her secret out of the window. Luna had tried to warn him that Hermione would likely react this way, and thinking logically, he knew Luna was right, but deep down Harry had hoped Hermione would respond to his plea based on their friendship, and would agree to at least listen to him before contacting the very people he had asked her not to contact.

According to Luna, Dumbledore would be at the door with reinforcements in a couple of hours. Hermione had not closed the window after Hedwig had flown out, and that would give Harry the access he needed to carry out the next step in their plan to bedevil the senile Headmaster.

– – (()) – –

Hermione's day was going from good to bad very quickly. After notifying the Headmaster about Harry's note, she had been shocked when Dumbledore arrived at her doorstep with several other people in spite of her request that he come by himself so that he and Harry could discuss their differences.

The Headmaster's response to her concern was that it was necessary in order to secure Harry to prevent him from leaving again. It appeared Harry's worry about being kidnapped might have been valid! Every time Hermione tried to question the respected man about Harry's other accusations, Dumbledore would brush off her questions, or ignore the question and try to change the subject. The respect Hermione was feeling towards the Headmaster was declining rapidly.

The day got even worse yet, when a couple of Aurors from the DMLE showed up to arrest Dumbledore for trying to contact Harry Potter after having been warned that any attempt to contact Mr. Potter would result in his arrest. Dumbledore's response was that he had been invited, leaving Hermione to explain why she had tried to arrange a meeting between Harry and the senile Headmaster.

Hermione did not appreciate being questioned in her own home in such a manner. And, of course, while the Aurors were questioning everyone, Hermione's parents returned from their first day back at their practice to find several people in their house. To complete the wreck of her day, the Aurors ended up questioning Hermione's parents as well.

The Aurors decided that since Hermione had asked Dumbledore to her house, and because Hermione had not been officially notified that Harry and Dumbledore should not meet, they could not actually arrest Dumbledore for trying to meet with Harry. However, Dumbledore bringing several people to Hermione's house without permission was an offense that, while minor, would result in the senile Headmaster spending the night in a cell at the Ministry.

Dumbledore had been quite affronted when Hermione, seconded by her parents, had pressed those charges. But affronted or not, the wizards that came with the Headmaster were ordered to disperse, and Dumbledore was led away by the Aurors to spend a night in a cell and to face a couple hundred Galleons fine in the morning. Most of that fine would be retained by the Ministry, but some would find its way back to Hermione.

Once the house again only held Grangers, Hermione spent a very uncomfortable hour trying to explain what had happened. Hermione's mum had been very displeased when she heard that Hermione had been warned that Harry was having legal difficulties with the Headmaster, and had requested that the Headmaster not know about the note.

The final blow to her day came when Hermione finally made it back up to her room. There was a new letter on her bed.

_'Hermione,_

_I told you so._

_I had thought that you were a friend, but now I know where you place my friendship._

_Goodbye._

_H. Potter'_

Hermione sat on her bed and stared at the short note. She had been sure she knew what was best. She had been so wrong; it looked like she had destroyed her friendship with Harry.

Later that night, Mrs. Granger would check on her daughter to find her in the same position, staring at both of Harry's notes, and with tears running from Hermione's eyes and down her cheeks.

**Sauce for the Gander **

Luna sat down beside Harry under her 'seeing' tree as they called it. She was worried about her boyfriend, and she was worried about whether he was still her boyfriend. To her relief, Harry didn't have a blank expression, and as soon as he felt her next to him, Harry wrapped his near arm around her and helped her to snuggle into his side.

"Harry?"

"Yes, milady?"

Milady? That was new, still, he didn't sound like he was raging, or unhinged, yet.

"Harry, please talk to me. I know what happened, but I don't know what you are feeling, or what I should be doing to help."

Harry glanced down at her, and in a move that surprised, Luna, he gave her one of his heart stopping kisses. Glorianna, how she loved Harry's kisses!

Once the kiss ended, Harry looked at her and said, "I'm feeling a bit sad. Hermione and I had been through so much, and mostly she stood beside me and supported me. It hurts a bit to realize that she can't keep a secret from adults."

"That would be couldn't keep a secret as in the past tense, Harry," Luna interrupted. "For I'm pretty sure she can now. I saw her last night in my dreams."

"Not that we will ever really know, Luna, I don't plan on going back to Hogwarts."

"Actually, we will. Hermione has a couple more choices to make before the end of the war," Luna said as she snuggled into her boyfriend's side. "The Grangers are going to be attacked soon, and we need to try to rescue all of them. So you will be able to see that Hermione is trying to do the right thing now. And having Hermione and her parents around is important. I don't know why, yet, but I know that others will be grateful."

Harry sighed, and gave Luna a bit of a smile. "I hope you are right; watching her decide she knew best without even letting me give my side of the story hurt."

Harry paused, and the arm holding Luna against his side tightened. "The reason I am not as upset as I thought I would be though is right here beside me."

Luna looked up at her boyfriend to see him smiling down at her.

"If you hadn't rescued me, Hermione's decisions would have crushed me."

Luna was a bit confused by that comment, and questioned Harry, "How did my rescuing you from _that place_ help you deal with Hermione's decisions? That doesn't make sense, Harry."

Harry's smile got even bigger. Luna knew she had been set up somehow, and had walked right into whatever Harry was planning. "Wrong rescue, milady, I was talking about how you rescued me from being alone and feeling sorry about myself. About how you helped me deal both with my grief, and the shock at how I was being used," Harry whispered to her, his head bending down so their foreheads were touching. "I am talking about the person that was willing to show me what she was really like, the person that agreed to be my girlfriend. The girl I have started to love very much: you."

As the words penetrated and started to make sense, Luna could only be amazed. If her Harry wanted to set her up for more surprises like this one, she was all for it. Harry, her boyfriend, had just said he loved her! Luna relished the warmth Harry's words had brought her; even the strange feelings in her stomach were welcome. There could be only one response, and Luna pulled her boyfriend down and kissed him hard.

As kisses go, it topped out as the best one for Luna, ever. She and Harry had kissed with a bit of passion in the past, but this one took her to places she hadn't been before. Luna could feel her body begin to respond to ancient urges, and this time, Luna welcomed her body's responses.

When they separated a moment to catch their breath, Luna added her own declaration, "And, just in case there was any question, I have started to love you very much also, Harry."

Luna freed herself from Harry's side and changed positions so she could face Harry, and use her hands to start feeling Harry's chest.

"It's not the best chest, I know," Harry started before Luna put one finger over his lips to stop him.

"'Sauce for the gander' time," Luna thought. "Who is the girlfriend here, Harry?" Luna asked with a smirk on her face. "It is the girlfriend's duty to praise all of the wonderful parts of her boyfriend. I think you are beautiful, and you have no say in that matter at all."

Luna's smirk got just a bit bigger at Harry's bemused expression, and taking advantage of Harry's preoccupation, Luna used her free arm to feel really her boyfriend for the first time, as she pulled him back down for another kiss.

When the kiss ended again, Luna made up her mind, and taking Harry's hand in hers, she brought his hand up to her cheek. "Harry, I want a bit more of you, and from you." Luna rubbed her cheek into his hand, and then she pulled his hand down to her neck, and from there, down to brush lightly against her breast, before returning his hand to her cheek.

"I have every intention of caressing your face, chest, arms, and back. If you will please be gentle, you may do likewise. Now, Harry, before we need to deal with training, snakes and plans, please feel free to spend some more time kissing me!"


	7. Chapter 6: War Sucks

**Chapter 6: War Sucks**

**A/N: **

Updated 12-23-2011

I needed to make changes to this chapter when several reviewers complained that Neville being head of the House of Black did not make sense. As an author (and one that is still learning) that is my fault. I did not present my ideas clearly enough. As it is, to make rest the story work, Neville will remain the new head, and I am playing fast and loose with Augusta, but nothing I could find (short of reading the 7 books of canon in 1 day) says what I am presenting is not possible, just improbable.

I am still using the Black family tree as drawn by JKR and found in the HP Lexicon.

In this story Sirius DID NOT WILL the head of the House of Black to Harry. He did will him Grimmauld place as that was not entailed as a part of the Black estate. I am sure there are other Black properties that were entailed they just do not appear in this story.

Unfortunately, because of the short time line involved, the changes could not be sent to my beta reader, so I'm sure there are several errors in the changes.

**Unexpected Meetings**

Neville Longbottom followed the goblin from the bank lobby. He had received a note from Gringotts yesterday asking if he would meet someone here at the bank, with the goblins offering assurance that all of the participants would be able to leave the meeting safely. In the past, Neville's Gran would have refused to even consider him attending a meeting where such an assurance would be needed. But Neville had had a long talk with his Gran after the end of the school year, and while she did not approve of all that had happened, his Gran had started paying more attention to his wishes.

Neville knew that Harry had gotten away from their Headmaster's prison, and was guessing that it was Harry that wanted to meet with him, and it was Harry that wanted assurances that Dumbledore could not claim him. Once Neville had explained his thoughts, his Gran had agreed to allow the meeting, and was walking next to him as they followed this goblin through a maze of corridors.

Not that Neville would have turned Harry over to the old man anyway, and after hearing the whole story about the fight at the Department of Mysteries, Neville's Gran had expressed her growing dislike for Dumbledore rather forcefully.

The goblin they were following stopped before a large door, which appeared to have handles and hinges of gold, and opening the door, the goblin announced, "The Longbottoms to see you and your guest, _Tribus Praesieo__."_ Neville and his Gran were then allowed to enter the room.

The room was large and was decorated opulently with a wainscoting of gold set with jewels. On one side of the room there was a raised platform and on it sat a large goblin dressed in robes that were covered in gold and silver embroidery, and pieces of armor made of gold scale. Sitting at the oval table across from the entrance, near the raised platform was not the person Neville had expected.

"Narcissa Malfoy!" hissed Neville's Gran, as she went rigid beside him.

"Madam Longbottom, if you and your heir would be seated. All parties in this room are assured that no harm will come to them from the others in this room. I am the _Tribus Praesieo__, _the sub chief, of this branch of Gringotts, and my word is law."

The manners that been drilled into him from a young age took over; Neville walked to the head of the oval table, and bowed in respect to the Tribus Praesieo, before also turning to Mrs. Malfoy, and giving her a slight bow of his head. Neville then turned to his Gran, and pulled a chair out for her to sit on. His Gran had followed his movements with some surprise, and reluctantly followed her heir. After also nodding in respect to the Tribus Praesieo, and, in acknowledgment of the woman she would be sitting across from, she sat in the proffered chair and thanked Neville.

Once Neville had also been seated, the Tribus Praesieo smiled, showing many sharp teeth that had jewels set into them, and he started the meeting.

"Neville Longbottom, it has come to our attention that you are not just the heir to the House of Longbottom. It seems that you are already the head of the House of Black."

"Me?" Neville nearly squeaked, "I was sure that Draco or Harry…" Neville paused and backed up to speak in a more measured tone, "That is to say, I thought Draco Malfoy or Harry Potter would be granted that honor."

"Indeed, if the Malfoy heir had been able to, he would have been the head of the House of Black, but he is no longer able to take on that honor," the Tribus Praesieo replied to the implied question. "With no direct male Black, the honor of being head of the House of Black falls to the oldest living male relative. You are the eldest living male as you were born the day before the heir of the House of Potter.

Neville glanced over to Mrs. Malfoy across the table, and for the first time noticed how much black the woman was wearing. "Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Draco died less than a week ago," came the clipped response. "He was found dead in our house, but there were no marks on him, and as near as anyone can tell, no magic was used to kill him."

Neville heard his Gran gasp quietly, before she spoke the ritual words often used between families that were not close. "That is sad news indeed, Mrs. Malfoy, and we grieve with you at the loss of your son."

Mrs. Malfoy bowed her own head in acknowledgment, and took a deep breath as if to steady herself.

"Draco and I were not close, but I am sorry to hear he died at such a young age." Neville added his own condolences, more to allow Mrs. Malfoy a chance to regain control than to express any grief that the blond ponce from Slytherin had died.

"Thank you, but I believe I know how much bad blood Draco has shared with you," Mrs. Malfoy continued after a moment. "But with his death, I have been granted a chance to escape a similar fate. I came to the goblins to find the new head of the House of Black, and I have been very pleased at how you have handled this surprising knowledge."

"But how is it that I am as closely related to the Black family as Harry?" Neville asked the room at large. "And I was sure Sirius would grant that honor to Harry, since Harry's his Godson."

"The head of a Noble and Most Ancient House is not something that can be designated on a whim, Neville," Madam Longbottom spoke up. "The head of Noble and Most Ancient houses is determined by the convoluted laws of inheritance only. So cousin Sirius could not designate that honor."

"Cousin Sirius?"

"Neville, how is the House of Longbottom, joined to the House of Black?" Madam Longbottom asked in a slightly defeated tone of voice."

"I'm not exactly sure, Gran, which is surprising since you and Ganddad drilled me on family relationships when I was younger."

"Neville, my birth name is Callidora Augusta Black. Your Granddad, Harfang did not like the name Callidora, and always called me Augusta and after so many years it is the only name I answer to anymore. My father, Arcturus Black, did not really like my choice of husbands, but since he was the youngest of the Black brothers, and your Granddad was easily as pure-blooded as any in the magical England, my marriage was allowed. Although I was not welcomed at the home I grew up in any longer."

"Normally, since Mr. Potter's grandfather was the elder brother, he would be the next in line, but Dumbledore and the Wizengamot have passed several laws that muddied the waters. Your headmaster did this to keep some of the other old families from falling in to the hands of some of You-Know-Who's supporters, but they apply here as well. As the _Tribus Praesieo_ mentioned, with the Malfoy's heir's death, you are the oldest living male relative."

"You will need to fill out several forms, but I would like to bring this meeting back to the purpose it was called," the _Tribus Praesieo_ said. "Mrs. Malfoy if you could continue."

"I will try to be brief," Mrs. Malfoy said. "I was sold to the House of Malfoy to produce an heir, and thus tie the House of Black to the House of Malfoy. I produced that heir, but my husband, indirectly, has killed that heir. I have laid my evidence before them, and the goblins agree. If the head of the House of Black were to declare that the head of the House of Malfoy has defaulted on the debt incurred when the House of Malfoy purchased me, I could be returned to the House of Black with all of my possessions."

"I think I heard that the bridal gift from the House of Black to the House of Malfoy was very large," Neville's Gran said from beside him. "If the entire bridal gift were to be reclaimed, the House of Malfoy would be much reduced."

"The House of Black was trying to buy influence with the up and coming Dark Lord, I was just the down payment as it were. My husband is a Death Eater," Mrs. Malfoy stated. "And he has spent a very large amount of money getting his way. Now, not only would his wealth be much reduced, but the houses he has purchased using my bridal gift would no longer be his. Including the house that filthy despot, the Dark Lord, is currently using to hold court."

Hurting Voldemort from a distance had to be a good thing to do in Neville's mind, but the head of a major house needs to think of more than just the short term. The much hated lessons of his youth suddenly made a lot more sense. "There has to be no confusion here Mrs. Malfoy. I need an absolute statement saying you wish to re-join the house of your birth. I need to know what you expect to give that house, and what you expect to receive from that house in the future."

"I had two sisters once," came an oblique response from the lady across from him. "One was thrown from the family because she refused to be sold the way I was, and the second has become so insane she can no longer be counted as a sister."

Mrs. Malfoy paused to take a breath. "I want to be Narcissa Black again. I want the chance to re-connect with a sister I have missed greatly, now known as Andromeda Tonks. I would really prefer that I not be sold to any man in the future. I will ask that I be protected as much as possible from the despot who rules my current husband. In return, I will agree to seek the permission from head of the House of Black should I ever wish to re-wed, and I will perform any functions or tasks placed on me by the head of the House of Black, provided my safety is not compromised by those tasks. I will assist the DMLE in any way that I can that will help destroy the blight named Voldemort."

"Narcissa," Neville said as he used some of the lessons learned at his Gran's knee, combined with the tactics Harry had tried to teach the DA, to form a plan. "You will not be returning to Malfoy, and while I will be re-claiming you from the House of Malfoy, I think it should not happen just yet. If, by reclaiming you for the House of Black, we can displace Death Eaters from your properties, then we should make sure there are Aurors on hand to capture and/or kill as many of those Death Eaters as we can manage."

Neville turned to the goblin _Tribus Praesieo__. "Is it possible to get a message to the head of the DMLE from here __Tribus Praesieo__?" It would be best not to give our opponents time to guess at our intentions."_

_The __Tribus Praesieo__ smiled a dangerous smile, and summoned a goblin that could run this errand._

_**The Action Reports**_

"Report!" Madam Bones barked at Thomas, who had just returned from the last of the houses that had been reclaimed from the House of Malfoy.

"We were only able to capture four Death Eaters, Madam Bones. Five Death Eaters were killed, but I have no idea who did the killing. It was not the group of Aurors and Auror Trainees under my command," Thomas reported, and to his surprise his rather stupid sounding excuse did not get an immediate rise from his boss. Instead she nodded almost as if she had expected that answer.

The DMLE had called in every possible trusted person they could under short notice, but with six different sites to cover, this last team had been woefully undermanned, and had been supplemented by some Auror trainees.

"Did you lose anyone, Thomas?"

"No, there were several injuries, and one trainee is hurt badly enough that he may never be strong enough to continue his training, but no one was killed. Madam, I have no idea how it happened, it could have been, should have been, a blood bath with so many raw wands in such a small area."

"Let me guess," Madam Bones said after a moment. "Five of your Aurors and/or trainees were stunned, and the five Death Eaters that were killed were nearby."

Thomas was so shocked at the accuracy of the guess that he sat down hard on the chair in front of Amelia's desk.

"I can see by your reaction I was correct," Madam Bones said with a half smile appearing and then disappearing from her face. "The same thing happened at every other house we raided. It is going to look like the DMLE won a major victory today: fifteen Death Eaters captured, twenty one Death Eaters killed, and not a single Auror was killed in any of the actions."

"The problem is, is that is a lie." Madam Bones looked down at the notes on her desk. "Our forces killed eight Death Eaters, and some other witches and/or wizards killed the other thirteen. Whoever killed those thirteen did so in such a way that no one saw what happened. Based on the first reports from the stunned Aurors, they had all been surprised by a Death Eater, and was sure they were about to be killed. One was quite surprised to have survived."

Madam Bones paused and looked back up to Thomas, "How did the five Death Eaters at your site die?"

"It looks to me like two different casters, boss. One used a Confringo curse, and likes to target the chest area. The other caster used some variation of a Confringo curse, and likes to aim at heads," Thomas replied, having expected this question, although from a more disbelieving Madam Bones.

"That matches the reports from two of the other houses," Madam Bones said, and then stood. "I will want more details later, but for now, join your fellow team leaders and let's go over what we know." Madam Bones led the way into a conference room that adjoined her office.

Inside the conference room Thomas found the five other team leaders from today's action. As the most junior Auror present, Thomas sat in the first free chair away from the chair his boss was claiming.

"Right, we have a situation and no leads yet," Madam Bones started. "At all six houses, witches or wizards other than our Auror teams killed Death Eaters."

The table was mostly quiet; Thomas was sure the other team leads had already discussed what had happened.

"We have no idea who _helped_ our forces, but at first glance through the data you have provided, there were two different teams. One team had three members, and liked to use cutting curses and severing charms. The other team seemed to have two members, and they used a variation of the Confringo, blasting curse, that none of us has ever seen before."

"We have no idea how these two teams crossed the hundreds of miles between the houses that they did, we put an Anti-Apparition zone around all of the houses. We have no idea how they knew that we were planning the raids when we did, or even how they knew where the houses were. The only thing one of you noticed as a bit strange was that there were a couple of owls hanging around one of the first houses before the raid took place…What Shack?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt cleared his throat, and spoke to the group. "I noticed a group of owls before the raid as well, but they weren't delivering letters, and looked to be all the same breed, so I didn't mention it thinking they were a family unit sheltering in a tree for the day."

Madam Bones looked at her notes, and then back at the black wizard many thought might be a Department head someday. "Please tell me that you saw three owls."

"Yes, Madam Bones, there were three of them. They were gone after the fight, but I didn't consider that unusual after all the noise from the fight."

"Curious, you saw three owls, and a three person team helped your fight. There were two owls seen at the other house, where a two person team helped. Except of the fact you thought they were the same breed, I would guess we had some unregistered Animagi. But the odds of three unregistered Animagi being the same breed of owl, and both knowing each other and wanting to kill Death Eaters are very low. Add another two unregistered owl Animagi, even if they are different breeds, and it becomes ridiculous. Did anyone else notice anything? Yes, Thomas?"

Thomas glanced around and tried to speak with a steady voice. It had been his first chance to lead a team on a raid and he hadn't wanted to mention something that sounded so bizarre. "One of the trainees that had been stunned swore that she heard an owl hoot behind her just before she was stunned."

"That adds to our knowledge. I want the rest of you to question the people who were stunned. Find out if they heard or thought they saw an owl."

"Will we be able to question the captured Death Eaters?" One of the other team leaders asked. "Or are they going to get to go free?"

Madam Bones grinned as she answered, "Our esteemed Minister will be unable to interfere this time. One of the captured Death Eaters was Rabastan Lestrange. Since he was an escapee from Azkaban there was no question about our getting to question him under Veritaserum. The first question we asked was about anyone being marked under the Imperius Curse. The man says it is impossible to be marked while under the Imperius. With that evidence, I was able to get around Fudge. All those captured will be tried, and with the prison not up to holding prisoners just yet, many will be sentenced to the veil."

"You all reported at that all of the dead were marked, so any family members of the dead Death Eaters trying to make trouble will get a quick ticket to one of our interrogation rooms. For their _safety_ of course!" Madam Bones was looking happier than Thomas had seen her in some time, and, since he was often one of her body guards, he was in her presence regularly.

Madam Bones stood to dismiss the meeting. "I need to report to Gringotts_ on how our day went. The head of the House of Black is waiting for my report. You all know to talk to the people that were stunned, and the people questioning the prisoners will also ask about any owls flying around. If you think of something, or find something, make sure I hear about it. You may go."_

_**The **__**(Not So)**__** Rich House of Malfoy**_

Narcissa was a Black again. It felt good to inflict some revenge on that idiot she had been forced to wed. She was also feeling quite strange to realize she was helping, actually helping, the head of the DMLE. It was a position she had been brought up to detest, and a person her now-ex-husband had either hated, or derided, depending on if she was blocking him, or he had gotten one over on her. Still, Madam Bones had offered her complete amnesty in return for the information she had on her houses and when she and the Head of the House of Black would re-claim them, thus expelling her unwelcome guests through the wards.

"Excuse me, Madam Bones," Narcissa started to ask during one of the pauses of her report to Neville, the new Head of the House of Black. "Was my ex-husband one of the people either captured or killed?"

"No, Ms. Black," the fiery witch responded after checking her notes. "It appears he managed to get out. We believe that fifteen to twenty managed to escape from the house you said Voldemort was hiding in. We had the most Aurors around that place, but the house and grounds were large enough that there were several holes in the coverage."

"I am not criticizing you, Madam," Narcissa answered the defensive tone she heard. "I am actually pleased he escaped the easy justice you would have given him. When the Dark Lord figures out exactly how much he has been hurt by my defection, Lucius is going to be receiving a much more painful form of justice than you would have offered him. I would not be surprised if Lucius' body is found somewhere around Diagon Alley in the next couple of days."

"From what we know of the Dark Lord, I would not be too surprised either," Madam Bones replied, somewhat mollified that her teams had not been found wanting. "What I fear is that this will cause the Dark Lord to retaliate, and I really should be back at my office to try and plan for that retaliation."

Narcissa watched as the prematurely graying lady stood and began to excuse herself. It was not unexpected that a woman in this position would be under a lot of stress, but the overall affect was not unpleasant. The head of the DMLE was being tempered, and had turned into steel, inside and out.

Narcissa's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a new person entered the conference room as Madam Bones left. It was with a thick and an un-cooperating tongue that Narcissa managed to stutter, "An…Andy!"

- - (()) - -

Andromeda Tonks was not sure she could stand any more shocks today. She had received a Gringotts owl with a letter asking her to come to the bank as soon as she could for a meeting. What the letter didn't mention was that the meeting would include one of her sisters, and, in a surprise that left Andy shocked, the new head of the Black family. The third surprise had been who now held the reins of the House of Black. The fourth surprise had been when this youth had asked if she wanted to be restored to the House of Black as a daughter of that house that had married with her lord father's permission.

The most telling shock had been that her sister had been reclaimed, and even now was crying into Andy's shoulder. Andy had pieced most of the story together and would alternate between compassion for her re-found sister, and anger at what had happened to that same sister.

Arrangements were made to move herself and her family into the Longbottoms' manor for safety. All of them were sure You-Know-Who would retaliate against the Black family, and the Longbottoms' manor was well warded. Those wards were about to be doubled, while the Tonks' house had only the most basic wards around it.

- - (()) - -

Narcissa Black was correct in her assessment that the creature that used to be known as Tom Riddle would be upset at one Lucius Malfoy. It took over ten hours before the torture killed the man.

The now dead Lucius Malfoy was not the only person to feel the wrath of the Dark Lord, but he was to be the only one that died. Too many of the Dark Lord's faithful had been captured or killed, and what sources he had in the DMLE were drying up as that blasted Bones woman ripped through her ranks trying to find all of his moles. What little had been reported to him before the moles went silent was disturbing. Those of his captured faithful that had been freed from Azkaban had already been questioned and pushed through the veil. The others that had been captured were being questioned under the affects of the truth potion, and at least five of them had also been forced through the veil.

Voldemort's reign of terror was not quite as terrorizing now, and plans would need to be made to both punish the fools that fought him, and to reassure the fools that had started to question his ability to lead.

"Rat!" Voldemort yelled at one Peter Pettigrew, "Once you have a final count of both my followers, and how much gold I can access, summon what is left of my inner-circle, and then find the address of the muggle friend of Harry Potter!"

- - (()) - -

Hermione Granger was unaware that she had just topped You-Know-Who's list of people to die soon. Actually, based on how she was feeling right then, dying under torture would be a welcome relief from the self hatred she was currently feeling. Both of her parents had closed their business temporarily in order to try and pull their daughter through, and now, after several heart-to-hearts with her parents, Hermione could see what had blinded her for so long - the things her old Headmaster was guilty of could not be explained or excused. If Harry Potter had to stay at his Aunt's, then magic could have been used to make his stay bearable. The secrets the old man had kept were too numerous to count. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had therefore been notified that one Hermione Granger would not be attending classes there any longer. Also owls had been sent to the Ministry for any knowledge of other magical schools…

**Repercussions**

Daphne looked up from the book on dismissal magic she had started and had been staring at without seeing the words when Harry came down the stairs and into the room they were all calling their common room.

"Hey," Daphne said to the distracted looking young man she was actually surprised she now considered a friend. "Where is Luna? I don't often see one of you without the other."

Her distracted friend glanced up, and Daphne knew something was not right.

"Luna and I have had a bit of a fight, and she is still upstairs," Harry replied as he crossed over to the rocking chair Luna favored, and caused it to rock with no one in it.

"So why haven't you told her that you're a stupid boy and that you're sorry?" blurted Daphne without thinking too much about what she just said. Luna being upset was not something Daphne would stand for. She had done too much for all of the people in the Lovegood Reserve.

As Daphne's mind caught up with her mouth and she realized just exactly what she had said, she watched as Harry's face started to tighten up in anger.

"Gads! Sorry, Harry, that did not come out quite like it should have. I pretty much idolize the way your girlfriend maintains her calm. Her calmness and matter-of-factness helped Tee and I a lot on the day you rescued us."

Harry's face went through several expressions before settling on a more sheepish one. "I love that about her as well," Harry replied. "Also, I am a bit on edge since Luna yelled at me to leave, so I understand the blurting words out."

"That does not explain why you are down here and not telling your girlfriend that you are sorry for…Whatever did you do to make Luna, of all people, mad?"

Harry gave a Daphne a half smile before running his hands through his hair as he crossed over to 'his' padded chair and sat down. "I thought I would wait to say I'm sorry until after she unlocks the door. I don't expect it to help much if I blast her door off of its hinges just to get in to say 'I'm Sorry'."

"Well, I do have to agree with that, but you didn't say what you did." Daphne smiled at her mental image of Harry Potter blasting a door down, only to then start apologizing.

Harry's expression dropped from the half smile to full frown. "I wish I knew. I got a bit mad myself when she kicked me out of the common room we are sharing, but that was mostly because I really didn't know what I had done and was feeling a bit put upon. After I had a chance to cool down myself, I went back over our conversation, which was mostly about what happened today, and I don't think I said nor did anything to warrant Luna's reaction."

Harry's frown turned pensive as he continued, "I do remember Luna saying something like you just did, however. Something about boys being stupid and will always mess things up. So I guess I will need to wait till Luna cools off to find out what stupid boy thing I did so I can both apologize, and make sure I don't do it again. Luna is too important to me to let stupid boy things get in the way."

Daphne could not believe Harry was over being mad so quickly and just had to ask, "So you aren't mad at Luna anymore yourself?"

Harry's half smile was back and causing alarm bells to go off in Daphne's head.

"No, I'm not upset at Luna anymore. I remembered something you said to me shortly after you got here, and that helped my anger drain away," Harry said.

Daphne was sure she would regret it, but she just had to ask, "Something I said? To you after we got here? What did I say, Harry?"

Harry's smile grew even bigger, confirming Daphne's fears.

"You told me that if I ever hurt Luna, you would string me up by my testicles," Harry said answering Daphne's questions. Harry then sighed and the smile dropped from his face. "That helped, but really, I love Luna too much to stay mad for some little thing. Right now I am more worried that whatever I did hurt her."

Daphne blushed a bit at the memory of that conversation, but rallied as she was happy to hear Harry declare publicly that he loved his girlfriend. "You know, Harry," Daphne started, "boys are all stupid, and will mess things up if they can. But since you seem to already understand that universal law, I think I will cut you some slack. That and the fact you just admitted to me that you love the girl helps a lot. It is possible that you might be able to undo whatever stupid boy thing you did."

"Thanks, Daphne," Harry responded with a sigh. "I hope I can undo whatever stupid boy thing I did too." Harry paused and in an obvious change of subject, Harry cut her to the quick. "You did well by the way today."

"I did no such thing, and you can't know that," came Daphne's stung reply.

"Actually I do know. Luna told me before we had our blowup that you, Tee, and Blaise all did very well today."

"Harry, I killed people today. I DID NOT DO VERY WELL!" Daphne replied, nearly shouting at the end.

Harry held his hands up in surrender, and frowned at himself as he re-lived his part of the day. "We all killed people today, Daphne, and it's my opinion that war sucks."

Daphne was not calmed by Harry's actions and continued belligerently, "You may have killed today, but did you kill someone you're sure you shared classes or a dorm with?"

Harry's eyes did not leave Daphne's, but they were not accusing, rather they showed some understanding.

"I can't be absolutely sure of course, since all of my victims had masks on. But still I thought I recognized a mannerism, or could hear a friend's voice in their death rattle."

Harry just nodded during Daphne's rant, and gave a quiet "un-huh."

"And what good did it do? We are trying to help and we killed like thirteen people today."

"Actually, Luna said we saved over fifty others today," Harry broke into Daphne's ranting, bring the rant to a full stop.

"What?" Daphne asked staring dumbly at Harry's pensive face.

"I didn't like what I did today either," Harry continued. "But when I signed up for this path, Luna warned me that I would have to personally kill a lot of people. But what we are trying to achieve is less death in total, and each and every one of the people we all killed today would have killed one of the Aurors. In fact, several of our victims would have killed more than one. And, according to Luna, one of those that died today would have killed five other people before the end of the day."

Harry paused to take a deep breath before he continued to shake Daphne's world. "Yes, we killed people today. But the ones we killed today planned on killing and raping others. I do not like what I did, but I believe what I did saved the life of an innocent housewife, magical or muggle a month from now. Thinking that is the only thing that is keeping me from raging at you, at Tee, or Blaise, or even Luna."

Daphne felt a sob catch in her chest, and spoke tentatively to the impassioned young man sitting across from her. Luna might be the general, but this Harry Potter was no one's plaything. "I needed to know that. It…It might help me sleep some tonight."

Daphne watched through tear filled eyes as Harry got up and crossed over to her side before giving her a one armed hug invitation. Daphne needed no second invites and tears fell silently from her eyes as she leaned into a bit of human comfort.

- - (()) - –

Daphne cried into, while leaning against, Harry's shoulder for only a short time, before she pulled away from his undemanding comfort and began to compose herself. Harry, bless his hide, removed himself from the couch and returned to his favored padded chair, and tried to start a more normal conversation.

"Where are Tee and Blaise while you were out here alone, Daphne?" Harry asked.

Thoughts of her two close friends temporarily distracted Daphne enough to smile at Harry as she answered. "My most refined friends are making like bunnies."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure you know that Blaise and Tee are lovers," Daphne started, and at Harry's nod, she continued. "Generally when the two of them are together, it is a loving and beautiful expression. Unfortunately, while we were at Malfoy Manor, I got to stand guard while they expressed themselves, and as I a result I have seen a great deal more of the two of them than I am happy about.

Today, much as I detest the word, Tee and Blaise are shagging. Pure and simple animal lust with none of the beauty and love they normally share. I think it is how the two of them are dealing with what they did today, and whom they might have killed."

"Er, how?" Harry asked cautiously.

"They forgot to put up silencing charms and are being _very_ vocal in their efforts," Daphne answered.

"Ah!" came Harry's understanding answer.

The room fell quiet for a few moments while Daphne reviewed all she said and had heard. Reminded of how alone she was since Tee and Blaise were occupied only with themselves at the moment, she took a chance. "Er, Harry?"

"Yes, Daphne?" came Harry's quiet response, a wary expression warning Daphne, that Harry was not a fool and was learning to read both the words and intent behind the words.

"Do you think your girlfriend would mind if I asked for a hug from you?" Daphne asked. "I am feeling both alone and overwhelmed right now."

"Harry's girlfriend will not mind if you hug him for a bit. But Harry's girlfriend will need a hug and a kiss first," came an unexpected voice. There on the landing from the stairs stood Luna. It was obvious to Daphne that she had been crying, and her eyes were filled to the brim with more tears, but a fairly happy smile graced her face.

Daphne watch as Harry jumped up and ran to his girl, all but smothering her in his hug. Then both separated and in one voice they said, "I'm sorry!"

Before Harry could protest again, Luna put her fingertips over his mouth, and interrupted his attempts to speak. "Harry," Luna said, "this time it was my fault. I hadn't given you enough information. You asked a question, and just like everyone else in this house, I am on edge from my actions today, and I snapped at you."

"What did I ask?"

"You wanted to know the names of some of the people we saved today," Luna answered.

"Actually, I would like to know that as well," Daphne added from her seat. "I think I killed a classmate today, and would like something to shore up my pain."

Daphne was surprised when Harry left Luna's side and came over to her, and pulled her up to her feet, and then over to where Luna was still standing. Three pairs of arms all wrapped around each other, and Daphne began to relax at the implied acceptance.

"I can't tell you names, Harry, Daphne," Luna said after a moment. "I could've traced them before the decision point, which happened today. Now that the decision point is past, the events that led to those deaths will not and cannot happen."

Luna turned to Harry without releasing Daphne, "I never explained that to you, Harry. When I am seeing to try and plan our actions, and the best course for us to take, I am often traveling down several pathways, and I don't have time to do more than count the deaths without spending the time needed to see who it is that did or didn't die."

Harry nodded his understanding, and Luna turned to Daphne, again without releasing any of the pressure or support her arms were giving to Daphne.

"I know, Daphne, that it is hard for you right now, being the thumb is never fun. But while I won't share my boyfriend for more, he, or I for that matter, may be approached for hugs whenever you need them," Luna said in a solemn voice, glancing between Daphne and Harry, making sure they understood the implicit permission and boundaries for that permission.

Then Luna continued talking to Daphne, "There are two possible decisions others will make in the future that might bring someone for you down to the reserve. We won't be able to influence those decisions, so I can't guess at how likely one of them might be. But even if you don't meet someone down here in the reserve, I believe you will meet them after the war."

Daphne had to ask about that last statement, "You believe, Luna? Why wouldn't you know?"

Daphne felt Harry tense at her question and turned to the green eyed boy as he started speaking.

"Luna is pretty sure something bad is going to happen to her just after the Dark Lord's death. She can see no further."

Since that was not something Daphne wanted to hear, she turned back to Luna and spoke in a voice neither Harry, nor Luna had heard from her before. "And how do we prevent that from happening?"

Luna flushed at the disapproving attention and refused to meet Daphne's eyes, glancing downwards instead. "I don't know. I can't see anything that directly relates to me. I can see how many Death Eaters you, Tee, and Blaise killed today, I know how many of the Death Eaters I killed myself, but because Harry was in close proximity to me I couldn't see how many he killed, or how he killed them. I was able to see Madam Bones say thirteen were killed by forces unknown to her Aurors, and from that information I could figure out that Harry killed two more than I did."

"In the future something is going to happen to me, and I have seen you and Harry talk about Dumbledore being the cause, but then my visions of the future stop. As I understand the seer's gift, that can only happen if Luna Lovegood no longer exists. The only information I have about that time is that Harry is to contact Millicent Bulstrode's Aunt Longs when, and I quote, 'once you become both his and lost', unquote."

Daphne, reluctantly, broke from the very pleasant three way hug she had been sharing, and continued watching Luna as she thought through what she had just learned. Then Daphne gave a surprised Luna a little peck on the cheek. "We will be talking more about your future and how to secure it. For now, please give us all the numbers of how many were saved. I will let Tee and Blaise know that you can't give names, but knowing how many were saved might help."

"I can do that," Luna responded, looking up to meet Daphne's eyes. "Daphne, Harry and I can't do much of this by ourselves. We need you, and Tee, and Blaise. You three have already made a huge difference to the future, and to how we plan our actions. Your ideas saved several people today. If you hadn't been here to help us plan, even if you had helped with the raids, the Aurors wouldn't have been able to capture as many as they did, and there would have been losses.

From what I remember of the searches I did before you joined us here, if you had stayed and become Death Eaters, you would have become hardened killers. Tom is still going to lose, and your lives afterward would've been short and unpleasant."

"I have still become a killer, Luna!" Daphne snorted only to be stopped by a pale hand on her arm.

"But none of us in the reserve will become hardened killers, Daphne," Luna said arresting Daphne's rant before it had a chance to get started. "We have all killed, and we will all kill again. We are all going to feel bad about it, but here in the Reserve we will all support each other, something Death Eaters don't do. Also I hope there will be additions to the reserve in the next couple of days who will help us all even more."

Daphne sighed and covered the slim hand arm with her own, and gave it a grateful squeeze. "Luna, you and I will be talking about what you know, and how to keep you alive, but for now, you have given me a lot to think about, and I am ready to retire."

"I am all for my love living, and I wish you luck, for she won't talk to me about it," Harry put in as he gave Daphne a surprise and gentle hug. "Goodnight, Daphne. I expect Luna and I will be down here most of the night, so if you can't sleep, come back down. We can sleep in a bit tomorrow, we have a busy afternoon, but our plans won't need to be as extensive since we are only covering one house."

"Goodnight, you two," Daphne responded before turning to Luna once more. "Luna, thank you for the hug permissions, I am going to need them I am sure." Daphne then turned and headed up the stairs.

In the room she just left she heard an 'Oomph' from Harry as she expected Luna had tackled the young man onto the couch. And two voices in concert saying "Please say you forgive me, …"

**References:**

I used the Black Family Tree as drawn by the HP Lexicon to determine who the new head of the Black family would be.


	8. Chapter 7: Fighting and Politics

**Chapter 7: Fighting and Politics **

**A/N:**

I messed up with the family tree thing and how Harry and Neville were related.

Oops, sorry.

To make this work I have gone back and changed a few things in the previous chapter.

The changes are only in the first section so you should check that out. As near as I can tell by what research I could do in a limited amount of time, what I am presenting is not impossible, just improbable. If this were a pure canon story, my initials would be JKR, and since I generally initial things ANW...

**Hermione's Pain**

Hermione Granger was feeling a bit better today. "Every day, just a little bit better" had become Hermione's mantra since that horrid day when she had thrown years of friendship away, and all because she thought she knew better than it turned out she really did. Hermione's parents had been pretty upset with all of the participants of that day's fiasco, but Hermione's rather violent grief had needed to take precedence, and other than several long talks with both of her parents, there had been no additional punishment. Today was the first day her parents had both returned to work, leaving Hermione alone for the first time.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a crash downstairs. A glance at the clock showed that her parents weren't due home for another quarter of an hour, so some caution was warranted. Hermione grabbed her wand, and cautiously opened the door from her room to the upstairs hallway. The voices she heard were not those of her parents, and when she heard the word 'Mudblood' she knew she was in deep trouble: there were Death Eaters in the house!

Hermione's bedroom windows looked out over the back yard, and hoping she could escape, she closed the door to the hall and crossed to her window, which also had a fire escape ladder nearby. A quick glance showed at least one figure standing guard by the large tree in the yard, while another figure was placing a large flat stone, which Hermione guessed to be some kind of warding stone, halfway between the back kitchen door and the detached garage.

With that method of escape cut off, Hermione looked for anything she could use as a shield from the deadly spells she was sure would be shortly aimed at her. Hermione's eyes fell upon a frame that her Dad had made for her scholastic awards, which had a sturdy metal backing that had then been covered with some wood. Hermione pulled it off the wall and quickly dumped the contents on the bed, and using a small pillow from her bed to keep her hand from being cut, and using the bed itself for additional cover, Hermione prepared to do battle.

Hermione did not have long to wait, which was likely a good thing as she was getting more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Then her door opened, and she could hear the end of an already started conversation as one figure entered the room while looking back at whom he was speaking.

"… Greengrass, I don't think she is in the house. The Mudblood would have announced herself by now."

"The Mudblood is going to announce herself to you right now," Hermione thought to herself, before casting one of the most basic of combat charms.

"Diffindo!"

The entire world seemed to stop for a moment after Hermione cast the spell. Her target stared in shocked disbelief at his wand, his hand, and half of his arm as they separated themselves from his person and fell to the floor, followed by a large amount of spraying blood. Then time re-asserted its normal progression, and the figure still half hidden by the door frame shouted and started to dodge back further behind the door.

Hermione responded with a "Flipendo!" which caught the man behind her first target in the shoulder and, as she had hoped, pushed the figure into and then through the banister, and based on the noise she heard, he fell at least partway downstairs.

"Stupefy," Hermione cast at her initial target, and the man obligingly finished falling to the floor, no longer blocking her view, while still acting as an obstacle to anyone that intended to enter her room.

Several footsteps could be heard before deadly green spells began flying through the doorway. "They're casting blind," Hermione thought, but before she could act, more spells flew through the doorway, meaning there were at least two more casters.

"DO NOT KILL HER!" a woman screeched as a third set of spells began filling the room, and the spells changed from the sickly green of the killing curse to the red of stunners. As a fourth set of spells began flying, Hermione could finally see a new target, and having no need to only stun her targets, she cast another "Diffindo!" A bark of pain indicated Hermione's spell had hit someone, but it also gave all of the people on the other side of the door a direction, and before she knew what was happening, no less than four of the red spells were coming her way...

– – (()) – –

Mrs. Robyn Granger gave a happy sigh as her husband, Evan, parked the car in their detached garage. It had been a long day, and Robyn was looking forward to a quiet evening. She and Evan were hoping that their daughter had survived, and perhaps even thrived, on her first day alone since that horrid day when Hermione had made a couple of costly mistakes.

Robyn and Evan hadn't told Hermione yet, but they were expecting a member of the magical law enforcement group after dinner. The Grangers needed to learn what their rights were in the magical world. If there was any chance of getting Hermione into a different magical school, the family was going to spend some time talking about that chance.

Robyn had not been paying much attention when she felt Evan grab her and pull her back sharply. "What?" Robyn started only to be interrupted by her now backpedaling husband.

"Hush!"

With that, Robyn started to take stock of her surroundings, and she noticed the back door to their house appeared to be missing. Not just open, but actually missing with splinters scattered on the back porch.

With Hermione being more open about what was going on in the magical world, Robyn and Evan had spoken about what to do if these Death Eater terrorists attacked their house. Now it appeared they might have to put those plans in effect.

Once they reached the corner of the garage again, Robyn kept watch on the back door and the back yard while her husband ducked back into the garage again for the weapons they had agreed upon.

It took only a few moments for her husband to return with two of his golf clubs in one hand, and a very illegal pistol in his other. Robyn did not know how he had obtained the weapon, but she knew it had something to do with some contacts he had made while he was serving in the army.

Robyn had never practiced fighting, but now rather wished she had at least taken some practice swings with the club she was currently wielding. It was one her husband claimed was a driver, and had a large head. At her whispered complaint at how long it felt, Evan showed her how to grasp the handle a little further up from the end and demonstrated, using the second club he had, how to use both hands to create a more powerful swing.

Then, as prepared as they were going to be, Robyn followed her husband as he slipped out of the garage and instead of crossing the yard, he hugged the wall and kept as much of their shrubbery between himself and the now open doorway. For the first time Robyn wondered just what her husband had done while he served his time in the army.

As they neared the door, a crash could be heard, followed by a woman's voice, muted but still forceful, saying "DO NOT KILL HER!" It appeared that Hermione was fighting back to good effect. Evan got on his knees and peeked around the doorway before turning back to Robyn bringing up two fingers. Then he got up and slipped into the house hugging the left side wall.

Hoping she was doing the right thing Robyn slowly counted to three and then entered her house but hugged the right hand wall instead. There were two male figures bracketing the door into the rest of the house, both of them looking up towards the second story landing that could be seen from that door. Even as she mimicked the actions Evan was taking to cross the room while hugging the walls and crouching, Robyn heard a heart freezing call of "Got her!"

"Is she dead? If not, I want a chance at the bitch. I think that fall broke one of my arms, "another voice said, from the adjoining room based on how un-muted it sounded, momentarily freezing Robyn in fear.

"She's only stunned, and we will be taking her to the Dark Lord uninjured," a female voice said, becoming clearing as Robyn surmised she must be coming down the stairs. "I can promise that some torture will be applied since she managed to kill Rowle."

"Too bad she is a Mudblood; Rowle bled to death, she disabled Greengrass, and she managed to cut me up pretty badly as well. If she had had some training, she might have been dangerous," a new voice could be heard. "If there hadn't been so many of us, she might have gotten away."

Robyn's heart fell at the sound of yet another voice; there were too many of them.

"Why aren't you and Davis guarding the back?" The female's voice could be heard again.

"Nothing going on out here, and we wanted to be sure you didn't need our help, but don't worry we'll check the empty yard again," the man furthermost from Robyn said, and both of the thugs turned towards the door to the backyard. Neither of them seemed to see Evan or herself as they crouched against the corners of the room.

Again mimicking her husband, Robyn let the man identified as Davis step past her and then she stood, and, in almost perfect time with Evan, she brought the head of her club down on Davis' head with a most satisfying, and at the same time, sickening crunch. Both men fell without making any vocal sound, but the sound of them falling against the table on their way down brought some unwelcome attention from the next room.

"What are you two clumsy...What?" could be heard from the doorway followed by the crack of Evan's pistol. The big man in the doorway had been cradling one of his arms, but Evan's aim had been sure and a large red hole appeared in the now dead man's forehead, throwing him back against someone else that had been behind him.

"Intruders!" screeched that grating female voice even as Evan's pistol barked a second time throwing the remaining man that had been framed by the doorway back as well.

"Expelliarmus."

"Expelliarmus."

Robyn felt her club wrench itself from her hands, even as she felt a force push her away, causing her to trip over the fallen Davis. A third crack could be heard from Evan's pistol before a third "Expelliarmus" was chanted, and Evan crashed down beside her, also tripping over the man he had hit with his club.

"Grab the filthy _muggles_ and get them in here," the female's voice screeched. "And check on the four fools they hurt!"

Robyn was painfully grabbed around her arms and dragged to the dining room. There she was forcefully sat on a chair, and felt ropes binding her in place when someone chanted "Incarcerous!"

When the man left her to help force Evan into a chair across from her, Robyn had the chance to look around. A woman with crazed eyes and wild hair stood over a motionless Hermione, and the two people that had just finished binding Evan in his chair were the only people still moving. It wouldn't make a bit of difference in the end, but it seemed her family had accounted for five of these terrorists: Hermione and she had each killed one, and her gentle and loving husband had killed three.

The crazed woman had figured out the same thing and the cackling of laughter she was making caused shivers to run up and down Robyn's spine. "I'm glad most muggles and Mudbloods don't fight as well as you three did," the crazed woman said. "We'd be all dead if even half of the sheep we killed did as well as you did."

"These four are all dead, Bellatrix," one of the remaining man reported after checking each of the still bodies.

"See what I mean?" the woman now identified as Bellatrix responded. "With the deaths and capture of our brethren when we were expelled from our houses, we have lost too many," Bellatrix said before turning to face Robyn and then Evan, "But you won't know or care. You two are dead, and your too-smart-for-her-own-good daughter will join you shortly. But first, because you were trying to save her, you should get to see some of what will be happening to her." The crazy woman then looked down at Hermione, and pointing her wand, chanted, "Ennervate."

Robyn couldn't help but be grateful when she saw her too still daughter stir. But Robyn was almost instantly sorry when that crazed witch then chanted, "Crucio," and Hermione's whole body bunched and then arched as Hermione eyes opened wide, and she appeared to be in so much pain she couldn't even scream.

When the bitch released the spell on Hermione, it was only to glance over towards Robyn and Evan, and smile her crazed smile. "This is so much more satisfying, I get to torture all three of you with just one spell." The bitch then turned back to their defenseless daughter and again cast the pain causing spell, this time holding it on Hermione for an even longer time.

"Confringo!" "Confringo!" "Diffindo!" Three new voices cried out and the three terrorists all died. One of the men died when his head exploded into fine blood red mist; the remaining man's head fell to the floor, no longer attached to his body; and the royal bitch that had been torturing Robyn's daughter was thrown against the wall, her back and chest having been turned to a pulp.

Then three new people entered the room from the kitchen, two boys and a girl all looking to be as young, or younger, than Hermione. Each of the newcomers checked to be sure that all of the terrorists were dead, and then one of the boys urgently threw the bitch that had been Bellatrix off of Hermione, and pulled Hermione away while holding her gasping and shuddering body in his arms. The young girl moved behind Evan, and even as the ropes that bound him appeared to loosen, Robyn sensed the other boy behind her, and felt her own ropes loosen.

Robyn staggered, not to her feet but rather to her knees to kneel beside her daughter, with Evan just a heartbeat behind her. "What was that curse? What is wrong with her?" Robyn gasped as Hermione continued to shudder, even after that bitch's death.

"She's been Crucio'd, the pain curse," the young girl said as she also knelt down, beside Hermione. "Blaise, please go get Tee and Daphne," the girl said to the boy behind Robyn.

"Okay, Luna," the boy replied and he left the room.

"Yes, pain," the remaining boy answered. "The Cruciatus curse causes nearly intolerable pain."

"I'll get the kit," Evan announced and left to stagger up the stairs where their emergency kits where kept.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice sobbed. "Harry? I did something very stupid. Please forgive me."

"Shh, Hermione, I forgive you, but you need to try and relax," the boy now identified as Harry Potter said softly. "We can't stop the pain, no potion we know of will. But the bitch who hurt you is dead. She won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

The boy identified as Blaise reentered the room with another girl that appeared to be Hermione's age. The girl stopped halfway across the room and then detoured to stand above one of the men Evan had killed with his pistol. Blaise crossed over to Luna, and said words that made no sense. "There is a large tree as promised, but I can't connect to the forest from it."

"Connect? Forest?" Robyn had asked as she pulled the front of Hermione's blouse apart and pulled it down to bare one shoulder in preparation of her husband's return. It would not have mattered, but Robyn was glad her daughter was wearing one of her more opaque bras.

"Check for a warding stone of some kind," Harry spoke to Blaise. "We were able to connect from that tree before."

"Ha...Half...way...'tween...garage...door," Hermione stuttered.

"Got it," Blaise said, already leaving the room. "I'll check for that."

Evan re-entered the room with his bag already open and his hand digging inside for the Demerol they both kept for emergencies. Generally it was used for oral emergencies, but Robyn wasn't quibbling at that moment. It was the strongest painkiller they had in the house, and Hermione was showing the symptoms of being in considerable pain.

"Help me hold her arm down," Robyn ordered the two kids, as Evan filled the syringe with the synthetic version of morphine. The two youngsters responded to the tension in her voice and didn't question her request; they just modified their positions and applied the needed pressure to keep Hermione's shoulder pinned to floor. Evan was the better of the two of them when it came to finding the vein, and in just a few seconds the Demerol was working its own magic. Hermione's breath began to even out, and the shuddering of her body calmed.

"What is that stuff?" asked the girl from above the dead terrorist she had been staring at, "There is nothing that I know of that can calm a person after exposure to the Cruciatus."

"You can let her up now," Robyn told her two helpers. As the two released her daughter, Robyn pulled Hermione's blouse back up and closed it.

"This _stuff_ is Demerol," Evan replied.

"Reparo," the girl, Luna, chanted while pointing her wand at the blouse, and Robyn stopped trying to figure out where the wand came from when she felt the buttons she had torn off re-attach themselves. Robyn figured she would fall apart later, but right now she needed to keep on doing the simple things, and she re-buttoned Hermione's blouse.

Blaise re-entered the room with a new girl beside him and announced, "I found the stone, but it is stronger than I can dismiss. It looks like Harry will have to dismiss it."

"Tee? Is that...?" The newcomer stated to speak to the girl over the dead terrorists.

"Yes," she answered, "my dad."

"Mine's on the kitchen floor," the newcomer answered before shaking herself, and turning to Harry and Luna she continued, "We are about out of time. There will be reinforcements here in minutes since no one has returned from this attack yet. When we dismiss the ward stone, Death Eater's won't be the only people that will become interested in this place."

"Once we dismiss the wards, we can be gone in seconds," Harry Potter said before turning to Evan and Robyn. "Do you have any more of that 'Demerol' stuff? Can you get all of it you can? We need to be away before others show up to reinforcement your tormentors, but that stuff will be worth its weight in gold in a couple of weeks."

"I can get Robyn's kit as well, but we don't have a lot here at the house," Evan answered while the two girls moved to an only semiconscious Hermione and pulled her to her feet and supported the girl out the door."

"Please do," the girl identified as Luna said. "I agree with Harry, this stuff is important."

Evan left the room to run upstairs to get Robyn's kit, while Robyn followed the girls holding Hermione through the kitchen and out to the back yard.

It seemed to take only a few seconds until Evan came back out together with Blaise and Luna, Evan tucking his pistol into his waistband, while Blaise and Luna were each holding one of the emergency kits. Harry exited the house last, holding both of the golf clubs.

Blaise stopped about halfway between the mature English Oak and the back porch and pointed to a half buried tablet-like stone with his foot. "Granger was right about where it was. She must have seen them plant it," he said.

"Okay, you take these clubs, and be ready to test the tree," Harry said before pulling his own wand from seemingly nowhere and, pointing his wand at the foreign stone, he cast a spell "_Dimittere!" _Unlike the previous spells Robyn had seen, a multicolored sphere flew from the end of the wand to the tablet, and an almost inaudible pop was more felt rather than heard.

"Right, I'll be back," Robyn heard Blaise say, and as she turned, from watching Harry's spell casting she caught a glimpse of the boy seemingly melt into the tree. After a slow count of three, the boy's face seemed to form from inside the tree. "I made it to the Reserve. It's all clear," the face said, and then it disappeared. Then the two girls holding Hermione stepped towards and went into the tree as well, taking Hermione with them. The girl, Luna, holding Evan, then followed, and before Robyn could say anything, she felt Harry come up behind her and guide her towards the tree as well, and Robyn's world disappeared into a haze of brown.

**Deserted**** House **

Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and several other members of the Order of the Phoenix stared in morbid fascination at the scene they found in the house that up until yesterday had held the Granger family. When the alarm wards fell instead of sounding the expected alarm, they had all rushed to the pleasant two story house in the middle of a very upscale muggle neighborhood. Because of the way the wards had failed they had been expecting some bodies, but in truth they expected to find Hermione Granger and her parents' bodies, and not the bodies of eight Death Eaters.

Remus Lupin joined the group with his initial report. "Four were killed by non-magical means. Four were killed by magical means." Remus pointed to Bellatrix and one of the headless male bodies. "These two died from an effective use of the Blasting curse; that one and a dead Death Eater upstairs died from the Diffindo spell. The one upstairs lost his arm and was then stunned. He bled out without ever waking."

"The two in the kitchen died when their heads were cracked open, likely from a club. These two died after being shot by a muggle pistol. That one has been shot twice," Remus continued his report.

"But there is no sign of any of the Granger family?" Minerva asked while still staring at the open and sightless eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"No sign of them and no sure sign they were even here. The only evidence we have that they might have been here is the muggle automobile in the garage and the use of muggle weapons to kill some of these scum," Remus replied to the assistant Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"Everyone freeze!" A new voice exclaimed, startling everyone in the room.

Remus turned quickly, only to be felled by three separate stunners.

Albus Dumbledore turned and his face fell as he saw no less than six Aurors enter the house, with Amelia Bones bringing up the rear. Recently, he just could not catch a break.

"Albus, I am getting very tired of finding you places you do not belong. You were fined for bringing people to this house uninvited, and here I find you, yet again, in this same house and with several others," Madam Bones complained as she strode up to the aging Headmaster. She then looked around at the sight of the carnage. "If these are all Death Eaters, you just might get away with your breaking and entering, Albus. That is Bellatrix Lestrange, and I think that is Greengrass."

"Remus had just reported that there are eight dead here, all of them Death Eaters," Albus answered the head of the DMLE. "But they were all dead before any of us got here."

"What brought you here? No, don't answer that. I will want to question each of you separately. You are all under arrest. Aurors, take all of their wands, and get them all cells at the Ministry."

"What is the charge Madam Bones?" McGonagall asked for the group.

"For being found at a crime scene without contacting the DMLE. The Grangers had requested a meeting with some Aurors this evening. I and one other Auror showed up twenty minutes ago, and when I found you people crawling around the house, so I summoned some backup. You have had at least twenty minutes in a crime scene, and you made no effort to contact us to report it," the fiery woman explained. Amelia then turned back to Dumbledore, "Since the Dark Mark did not get cast, are any of the Grangers still alive?"

"They were not here when we got here Madam Bones." A revived Remus spoke up. "We don't know if they escaped, were captured, or if they were not even here when the fight took place."

Amelia nodded, and then turned away. "Shortly, I will be talking to each of you at the Ministry; right now I need to see if I can capture any other Death Eaters by raiding Greengrass' house. I've wanted to search his place for a long time, and if I wait, I won't be able to do so before the Minster steps in to prevent me."

**Politics Intrude **

It was a tired and disgruntled Albus Dumbledore that stood beside the entrance to the Wizengamot's chambers. He had been quite thoroughly questioned, multiple times, during the night, but, finally, just before dawn, Madam Bones had to admit he would not be charged with anything. "Should the Grangers decide to charge you for your placing wards on their house without their permission, you and I will visit about this incident again," Madam Bones had explained.

Albus had planned on introducing a new law to try and make himself Harry Potter's guardian again, but that would require a fresher set of wits than he currently possessed; fresher wits and every one of the votes that he held or controlled. Albus didn't advertise it often, but he held the proxies for around half of the families that traditionally voted for the light. And the light was guided by his vision of the Greater Good. When Albus pulled all of his strings, he could influence or vote for just under forty percent of the total number of Wizengamot votes. There were just enough neutral families that did not trust him quite enough that he could not guarantee passage of a law, but he often could talk enough around.

Albus didn't use his full clout very often so it surprised people when he did. In the past he also would have been facing Lucius Malfoy, who held just as many proxy votes for the Dark Lord's agenda. But with Lucius' death, those votes couldn't come into play for a meeting or two, and Albus had intended to capitalize on those votes being absent. Now thanks to a very long night with no sleep, it would be smarter to wait a bit.

Except there, coming towards him, were several people he did not want to see with him inside the Wizengamot's halls. Augusta Longbottom usually let Albus vote for her, and the Longbottoms themselves held several proxies. With Augusta was her grandson, heir of the Longbottoms, Neville. Several steps behind the two Longbottoms was Narcissa Malfoy, if she had already been confirmed as the remaining Malfoy, she could vote the block of votes Lucius normally did. And that was a very sizable block.

"Dumbledore," Augusta said as she came up to him, blocking any chance he might have had to sound our Narcissa. "I have decided that it is time to start teaching Neville the ins and outs of our politics. I will be voting the Longbottom votes for the next several sessions while I explain to Neville why and how I am voting."

"Of course, Madam Longbottom." Albus was smiling while he tried to come with a way to neutralize this unexpected development. "It is always a good idea to introduce our politics to the young, and teaching Neville over several different sessions will help him understand the whole process." Actually, Albus would prefer that the older generations die out giving no such instruction as he would often be called on to explain, and while explaining he could often get an additional proxy vote or two 'while the heirs were learning' or 'for The Greater Good'.

"Because I will be doing this for several sessions, I plan on formally dismissing your proxy, Dumbledore," Augusta said, continuing to unknowingly knock holes in Albus' short term plans. "So we will be standing when you request any vote changes."

As Head of the Wizengamot, Albus was required to start each session by asking any for any voting changes. It was normally a mere formality, but by notifying Albus this way, Augusta had blocked any chance of maintaining the Longbottom votes for at least part of the coming session.

"I will need to announce some voting changes as well, Mr. Dumbledore," Amelia Bones interjected, having come up to Albus and Madam Longbottom while they were talking.

"Are you bringing Susan to the session to study your votes as well?" Albus asked, he did not hold the proxy for the Bones votes since Madam Bones was very good about attending all of the Wizengamot sessions.

"No, although since Neville is going to be here, it might be a good idea to bring Susan," Amelia replied. "These changes have to do with some Death Eater and DMLE activity."

Albus resigned himself to the fact that he would not be able to regain the guardianship of Harry Potter in the near future. He nodded to the two ladies that had unknowingly blocked his plans and scanned the room for Narcissa. When he couldn't find the Malfoy widow, he sighed and headed towards the podium to start the meeting.

– – (()) – –

"This session of the Wizengamot is now called to order," Albus intoned. "I have been informed that some proxy changes need to be announced. Will all of those needing to register proxy changes please make their way to the speaker's podium."

Albus was startled to see Neville follow his grandmother towards the speaker's podium, a slightly raised place that faced the table where Albus, the Minister, Fudge, and the secretary for the chamber sat. Normally Amelia would be sitting next to the Minister, but since she had business on the floor, she was currently talking to Augusta, and had separated Madam Longbottom from her heir. It was as Albus feared, Narcissa had also approached the podium.

"The House of Longbottom thanks the current proxy holder, but reclaims all votes and proxies currently assigned to the House of Longbottom and dismisses the current proxy." Madam Longbottom's voice rang clearly throughout the chamber.

After getting a nod from the secretary that the changes were recorded, Albus nodded to the old lady saying, "The Longbottom votes and the votes for all proxies held by the Longbottoms are returned to you."

"Thank you, Chief Warlock," the old lady said, and then turned to exit the podium. Stopping and nodding when she reached Neville, rather than taking her grandson with her back to their seats, she only walked back to the end of the short line and remained.

Narcissa Malfoy now stood at the podium and at Albus' nod she proceeded to play havoc with the established lines between the light and those that favored Voldemort. "Chief Warlock, I am the widow for the House of Malfoy. My ex-husband left me a letter asking that, if he preceded me in death, I assign any and all votes and proxies held by the House of Malfoy to any one of three individuals. After conferring with the Ministry, I find I am unable to do as my ex-husband requested. All three of the named individuals actually died before my husband did. Therefore, until I can determine another worthy individual, I will need to vote for all of the Malfoy votes and Malfoy-held proxies."

"The Wizengamot offers its condolences on the death of your husband, madam," Albus started the empty ritual while trying to figure just exactly what this was going to mean. "How would you like this chamber to address you?"

"Thank you for your well wishes, Chief Warlock. Please address me as the Widow Malfoy."

Albus nodded to the lady after verifying that the secretary had recorded both the votes and the requested form of address. Narcissa nodded politely as well and turned to leave heading for the area with the most empty seats, the seats where Neville and Augusta had sat before the meeting. If they ended up sitting next to each other, the fireworks would be entertaining to watch.

Amelia approached the podium next, leaving only both Longbottoms in the queue. For some reason, Augusta and Neville continued to remain as if they were waiting their turn. "Chief Warlock," Amelia started her speech, "there have been several deaths of people that held votes in this chamber. The House of Malfoy holds five votes for families that have suffered a loss of their head of house. Until the inheritance for those families can be verified by the Goblins, those votes will need to be removed from the pool of allowed votes." Amelia turned to the newly seated Narcissa and gave her a slight bow, "I am sorry, Widow Malfoy, those five votes are to be held in trust for a time."

Narcissa rose from her seat and bowed slightly to the head of the DMLE and acknowledged the vote changes from her position.

Amelia then left the podium and Neville waited for her to return to her seat next to the Minister, then the young man mounted the few steps and stood before the entire Wizengamot without the fear or nervousness Albus would have expected.

"Master Longbottom? Your grandmother has already reclaimed the Longbottom votes," Albus said gently, hoping that the lad would be able to make a graceful escape.

"Black, actually, Chief Warlock," young Neville said in a firm, and carrying voice. "The Goblins have confirmed me as the new head of the House of Black. I came to this chamber having just filed the needed paper work. I claim all of the votes that belong to the House of Black, and all of the proxy votes that were last recorded as belonging to the House of Black, excepting, of course, any votes that had new proxies recorded before this body."

It was a good thing that Albus was sitting down, had he been standing, he would have needed to sit down in shock. The Black family had held proxies for ten votes, on top of their own vote. While Sirius had been considered a criminal, those votes had been held in trust by the chamber, just like the five votes Amelia had just placed in trust. With the disappearance of Harry, and the messes that had followed, Albus had not thought to check who might be assigned as the head of the Black family. He had worried that Sirius had somehow willed them to Harry, but they had not been mentioned one way or another. The next in line should have been Draco, Albus glanced to Narcissa's seat and was shocked to see her nod in agreement. Narcissa's seat next to the current head of the House of Black began to take on new connotations.

"Albus..." Amelia prompted, breaking into his thoughts. Albus shook and wished yet again he had managed a bit more sleep the previous night.

"How do you want this chamber to address you, Master Longbottom?" Albus asked the ritual question.

"Master Longbottom will be fine for the interim, Chief Warlock."

"Very well, Master Longbottom, the Wizengamot rejoices that these votes will no longer be held in trust."

Neville nodded and stepped from the podium, heading back towards the chairs next to Narcissa.

To Albus' surprise, Madam Longbottom again stood before the Wizengamot.

"Madam?"

"Chief Warlock, I have one more voting change to record. I received the following letter last week. May I read it to this body?" Augusta announced. At Albus' nod, she unfolded a single sheet of parchment and began to read.

'_Dear Madam Longbottom,_

_I am writing you to ask if you would please take over all of the votes and proxies held for the House of Potter. I find that the current holder of those votes is no longer voting them to the betterment of my family. Albus Dumbledore and I no longer see eye-to-eye and I can no longer trust the man with my future. I have petitioned the Ministry for a new magical guardian, and they have complied, so the Chief Warlock no longer holds any authority that could block this request._

_Gratefully _

_Harry J. Potter'_

"Madam Longbottom, I must protest, are you sure this letter came from Mr. Potter?" a shocked Albus Dumbledore choked out. This would finish destroying his voting block.

"The Chief Warlock is within his rights to request the letter be verified," Amelia said from her chair. "I have recently seen and spoken with Mr. Potter. If you would present that letter to me, I will be able to verify if the signature is from Mr. Potter."

Albus held his breath while the letter was brought over to Madam Bones, she waved her wand several times, and the letter turned the color of gold. Gold meant the letter was genuine, purple or red would have indicated a fake.

"This letter has been verified as coming from Mr. Potter," Amelia reported. "It seems the Longbottoms and Longbottom-Blacks now hold a large number of votes."

A large number indeed, and since the letter had been read in the open session, with reporters from the Prophet in the gallery, the entire of magical England would know that Harry Potter no longer trusted one Albus Dumbledore. What scared Albus even more was the realization that if Narcissa had reconciled with the house of her birth, a Longbottom, Black, and Malfoy coalition held over 50% of the votes. Nothing would be passed that they did not agree upon. It had been over fifty years since Albus Dumbledore's power had been so neutralized in the chamber of the Wizengamot.

**References:**

The _Flipendo_ spell came from the HP Lexicon and is listed as a spell that is used in the Harry Potter video games.


	9. Chapter 8: Preparations

**Chapter 8:** **Preparations**

**Grangers in the Reserve**

Luna paused at the door into the workroom, for sitting at one of the new desks they had just added was Hermione. Luna had not had a chance to actually talk to Hermione much in the three days since she and her parents had been brought to the Reserve, so she slipped into the room and over to the recovering young lady.

"Hi, Hermione," Luna said to Hermione, startling the brunette from her reading. "How are you settling in?"

"Luna! I'm sorry you startled me, these books on the owl medallions are fascinating."

Luna sat down and asked again. "How are you settling into the Reserve?"

Hermione's face fell a bit, and she sighed. "Not as well as my parents, I think. After seeing that I was recovering, they have made themselves very busy. Actually I think everyone is busy except for me. Harry has made some time for me, which is how I got this book, but I'm feeling a bit useless."

Unnoticed to either of the girls, a large shadow passed by the door, paused and then stopped beside the door.

"Would you like an assignment then? I think we were all waiting to be sure you were ready. That Demerol works better than anything we magicals have ever seen. Normally, someone that had been tortured like you were would have been unable to do much more than get out of bed to go to the loo, and begin feeding themselves after only three days," Luna replied.

"My magical strength hasn't fully recovered," Hermione responded after a moment's thought. "The drug seems to have tapped into my core to help my healing. But my core is recharging now as well. So, yes, please I would like an assignment, since just about anything you might need me to work on will require research first."

"How would you like to become a healer, Hermione?"

"I think I would like that, Luna," Hermione responded with the start of a smile. "I'm not sure that I'm any good at fighting they way you five are. I didn't do at all well..."

"Hold it right there, Hermione!" Luna interrupted the girl. "You actually did quite well for the circumstances you found yourself in. You managed to disable two of your opponents very quickly, and you had positioned yourself well, and if a normal team of four Death Eaters had been dispatched to your house, it is likely you would have had the upper hand against the two remaining Death Eaters."

"But..."

"No, Hermione," Luna interrupted again, "you need to accept that you did way better than nearly every witch and wizard in England right now. One reason there is normally only four Death Eaters in an attack team is that the magical sheep would likely run into the wands of the waiting Death Eaters. You, and your parents, applied different tactics, and those tactics worked very well."

Luna paused and changed the direction of their conversation a bit. "The reason your dad has been busy is that we have been telling him what we have done and what we are planning, and asking how to do it better. Your mom has taken each of us under her wing, counseling us, and helping us deal with the killing we have done. If we can count on you becoming a healer, you will become just as important to this effort."

"Thanks..." Hermione stammered a bit to start. "I...I'm still trying to accept that I killed someone as well. And my dad, my dad, killed three." Hermione shook herself to continue, "I will be glad to become your healer, I don't think I will be good enough to heal major injuries in the time I expect you will be giving me, but I will start working on it this afternoon."

"Good, and now I have just one other thing to ask," Luna said while becoming more tentative. "What are you thinking about Harry and me dating?"

"I'm not jealous," Hermione replied, but not too quickly and not defensively, to Luna's relief. "I like Harry, a lot, but he is my best friend, and while he might be male, any interesting dreams I have had did not include Harry as the star player. In fact I had one really weird dream where Harry was my bridesmaid." Hermione ended with a bit of a giggle.

"Harry is very happy with you, and I am happy for him. Hopefully, I will have a chance to get to know you a bit better than I did in school. I want Harry's friendship more than almost anything, and that means I had better become a better friend to you as well, since you and he are becoming serious."

Luna had sighed and relaxed as Hermione had explained her feelings. If anyone could have taken her Harry away it would have been Hermione. The mental image of Harry in the fluffy robes often worn by bridesmaids caused Luna to grin. The fact that Hermione was happy about Harry and Luna made the smile bigger, that Hermione thought that Harry was becoming serious, well, Luna might be floating up the stairs soon. She thought Harry was becoming more serious as well, but Hermione knew Harry better anyone, and if she thought it, it was likely true.

The shadow at the door had heard enough: Mr. Granger was going to need to make some time for Hermione, and he would be sure to tell Robyn as well. They had been going by the information the kids had given them about that pain curse. That Hermione was healing faster was a good thing, but she needed the same support Evan and Robyn had started supplying the other kids when they got here.

Evan Granger and his wife had been swept up in a whirlwind when they had come here. They had been needed, and being needed like this had soothed a hurt he hadn't known he had. Magical people, well kids, had needed the support and knowledge he and his wife could provide. It made him at least, feel more a part of the world his daughter was trying to disappear into. But it wouldn't do to make a niche for himself outside of the sphere his daughter worked in.

Back in the work room Luna and Hermione had begun a bit of a gossip session as a way to get to know each other a bit better. Luna had just explained about her and Harry's first kiss, and had just asked Hermione about her ideal guy.

"My ideal?" Hermione asked before shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not too sure my ideal guy exists. I want someone that I can talk to about whatever project I am working on, and that means someone with a bit more intelligence than the norm. But I also want someone that can pull me out of a deep study funk without upsetting me. A tall order I know."

"A tall order indeed," Luna responded after a moment's thought. "I don't know many wizards that would be able to keep up with you."

"I'm pleased to hear you know about even one," Hermione interjected.

"Well, I think I do, but he is out of the country and a bit older than you are."

"How much is a bit? My folks keep telling me that I'm a bit more mature than most of the others they know of my age, so a few years older might not be too bad a thing. Being out of the country, that is a bit more difficult. I am assuming he is single."

"Yes, Hermione, the last I heard he was still single, and his current work would not lend itself to having a relationship. He is almost exactly ten years older than you are, but you are right he is out of the country and that makes it hard to meet the man."

"Ten years sounds like a lot right now, but maybe not, Luna. Now to change the subject a bit, well really a lot; where are the books on the healing you want me to learn?" Hermione asked, and then followed Luna to her room to gather some new books to read.

**Gathering Snape**

Severus Snape woke up with the rush of adrenalin that came from an Ennervate, so already he knew he was in trouble. Checking his surrounding and himself, he found he was secured to a chair in a darkened room, and the only light in the room seemed to be shining into his eyes.

"Welcome back, sir," an obviously disguised voice said. "I am so hoping that Headmaster Dumbledore is right, and you are a spy against the Dark Lord."

"Why? So you can kill me for being a traitor to your cause?" Snape snapped back at the voice, the shadow he could only just make out.

"No, actually," a girl's voice rang out. He knew that voice, but would need to hear it a couple more times before he would be able to place it. "We are hoping you can be talked into a bit of employment."

"And if I refuse your offer?" No pain, no real threats, a girl's voice from the dark? What was going on here?

"Assuming you are somewhat innocent, we will leave you here, but will send an owl to Dumbledore to come and release you. If you aren't innocent, you won't see another dawn," the disguised voice answered.

"What makes me guilty, or as you say, somewhat innocent?"

The voice had been devoid of feeling. Severus was sure that if he couldn't convince these students…Wait, students? "Potter! I will have you expelled for this!"

"I told you he would figure it out," the voice of the missing child came from the other side of the room and behind him. "You can turn off that spotlight, Tee, and bring up the lights in this room."

As the spotlight went out, other lights came on, if somewhat dimly, and Severus found himself still secured to a chair, but now able to see the others in the room with him. "Zabini, Greengrass, Davis, Potter, and … Lovegood? Miss Lovegood, I was told you had died."

"Yes, I arranged it so the wrackspurts would confuse anyone that came looking for me. I didn't want to be found you see. Those people killed my Daddy, and I needed to be safe while I planned my next move." Lovegood's voice was just as airy and she talked about the same made up creatures she had at school.

"My condolences on the death of your father, now release me."

"No, sir, I don't think so." Greengrass sounded more determined than Severus expected. "You see we were not joking just now. To answer a question you asked a while ago, you are innocent if you haven't killed any innocents."

"What are you blabbing about? Now release me."

"Sorry, Mr. Snape," Potter started.

"Professor Snape, brat!"

"No, I was correct the first time, Mr. Snape."

Potter was acting more self-assured than Severus had ever seen him. It was beginning to dawn on Severus that he was in a bit more trouble than he had initially thought after the lights came on.

"We are not in a school here, and you are not acting as one of my professors at this time. Right now we about to find out if you are a murderer. If you are, you will die here. If you aren't a murderer, then we have a need for a potions master. Before you complain that you can't work for me, you would be working for Luna. This is her show, I am just her boyfriend," Harry explained.

"That is not quite true, Harry," Greengrass interrupted the boy. "You are actually a lot more than just Luna's boyfriend." Greengrass then turned back to Severus. "But Harry is right about your fate if you are a murderer."

Davis then approached a vial of Severus' own Veritaserum in her hands. "Sir, we can do this the easy way, or we can force feed you. Luna has found a couple of really clever spells I would like to try. According to the books, however, you won't enjoy them at all."

"Just so you know, the only question we have for you is: have you killed any innocent person, muggle or not, since you were pardoned after the first war?" Harry set out the question.

The wording of the question gave Severus pause. "Just a second, define innocent."

Davis backed off a half step and looked at … Lovegood? Perhaps Lovegood really was running this farce.

"If you have killed any Death Eaters, they are not innocent. If you killed in self defense, you are not guilty of murder. If you saw a crime committed towards muggle or magical and killed to prevent that crime, then you have nothing to fear. If you killed a child at the bequest of the Dark Lord, you will face your punishment for that crime. If a child has lost a father or mother by your hand because it pleased you to hear them scream, you are doomed," Luna chanted.

"And if I killed under the orders of the Headmaster?" Severus had to ask.

"Then we will need more information about who you killed, and why the Headmaster wanted that death. Did you kill at the bequest of that senile man?" Luna clarified.

"No, and I will accept your Veritaserum, as I have not killed anyone by my hand, since the end of the last war. I have witnessed much death, but could do nothing about it unless I wanted to die myself," Severus answered, and then turned to Davis, and allowed her to administer the potion.

– – (()) – –

To Severus' surprise, these children stuck to the script they had mentioned, and it was only minutes before he was given the antidote to the Veritaserum, but he was still secured to the chair.

"Mr. Snape, would you be willing to work for me, and develop a very special potion?" Luna asked. "I will be willing to pay you the published rate for potions research by a master. You will be unable to leave the Reserve, but that is more for your safety as the Death Eaters will be looking for you, and won't be at all happy about your new employment. I also believe that Harry and I will be able to remove that ugly tattoo from your left arm."

"What? What nonsense is this? There is no way to remove a dark mark!" Severus was surprised into saying. If they could offer him some safety, he might take the students up on their offer. He really didn't like teaching, and he really did like potions research. At least he was going to consider it until they offered what couldn't be done.

"I'm not going to say it won't hurt, sir, but Harry and I studied the mark closely before we woke you up. We can remove it from both your arm and your soul." Luna was no longer showing the signs of being in another world. Her eyes were focused, and her speech was now very direct.

"What you don't know, sir, is that the Lovegood family possesses an artifact that will be of help. Also, the Lovegood library has books that were translated from before the Romans invaded England. One of those books had a spell that destroyed the soul magic that was in my scar."

Potter was also speaking directly. It was not arrogance, Severus had seen that, this Potter was speaking the truth as he saw it.

"Soul magic in your scar, Potter?"

"Yes, Mr. Snape," Luna answered, "it seems that Tom created a Horcrux in Harry, and with the help of the arch and an overpowered dismissal, Harry and I removed that blight. We currently think Tom made several Horcruxes. Harry and I will be responsible for finding and destroying those abominations. If you wish to work for me, Harry and I will be removing that mark from you. It would do me no good at all if you were summoned by Tom and had to go. Also, if you decide to work for me, you will need to resign from your teaching position. I don't think you will be done before the start of the school year, but if you want to try to return to teaching the year afterwards, that will be fine."

"What will I be making and researching?"

"You will be making the Serum of Life, and yes, we have a recipe, and you will be researching a new potion that will help with the Cruciatus. It seems that muggles have developed a thing called Demerol that does a very good job of healing the aftereffects of the Cruciatus, and we want you to figure out how to make some of this Demerol, or a potion that gives the same results as the Demerol."

These were worthy goals Severus thought to himself; the serum of life hadn't been made for over two hundred years, and the recipe was thought lost. While Severus did not believe the muggles could help with the Cruciatus, a potion to help with the aftereffects of that curse would be something that only a master could develop. And he would be away from the war. Severus had learned to hate the chess game Dumbledore and Voldemort played. Too many times he had been witness to brutal death, and while he had been only guilty of watching, he hated himself for what he had done and seen.

"If I agree to this, I will require a laboratory, and likely access to some expensive potion ingredients."

"The laboratory is already set up. Once you start developing the potion, let any of us know what you need," Harry replied.

"I would like to bring my house elf."

"That we can't help you with, sir. The Lovegood Reserve is warded against house elves. There are several places that my elves are working at that you can use as a getaway, and your elf may join you there. But that is the best I can do."

Lovegood again, she really was acting like she was in-charge.

Severus turned to the three missing snakes. "You know you are thought to have murdered Draco, Flint and Crabbe, does Lovegood know that?"

"Yes, actually, we rescued them from being raped by Draco and Flint. All three of them were Death Eaters, I killed Crabbe, Daphne killed Draco, and Tracey killed Flint."

Severus stared at Luna in shock.

"We five killed sixteen a little over a week ago: thirteen when the Death Eaters were expelled from the Malfoy houses, and three of the eight that tried to kill Hermione. The Grangers had killed the other five."

Severus looked over to Greengrass and Davis. They both nodded in agreement.

"That is correct, sir. I was fortunate that Mr. Granger had killed my father before I got there. I was not looking forward to crossing wands with him," Daphne explained.

These students, no people, sounded like they could actually keep him safe from the Dark Lord's forces when they came looking for him. It would also get him out from under Dumbledore's nose as well. He could live with working near Granger and Potter if it would free him from his slavery, add the potions research to the mix and, well...

"Very well, if you can remove this 'ugly tattoo' as you called it, I am your man. At least until the Dark Lord is killed."

"Since he made several of those Horcruxes, I would rather you say you will work for me until Tom is truly dead. I expect we will need to kill him something like six times..."

– – (()) – –

Severus Snape stared in shock at the magic that had just been pulled from his arm, a large inky black mass that remained tethered to him by some tentacles. Then the pain hit. Snape had been tortured by the Dark Lord several times using his mark, and, as a result, he was able to watch through the pain as Potter pointed his wand at the now visible black mass. Severus missed the incantation, but a multicolored sphere shot out and then intersected with the mass. There was an almost inaudible pop, and the mass was gone. But the pain, it increased tenfold, and with the magic gone, his life's blood began to rush from the now open wound on his left arm. As Severus slipped from consciousness, he felt one or more of his ex-students catch him...

– – (()) – –

"There, that should help," an unrecognized voice said as Severus slipped in and out of awareness. "Luna, the next time you ask me to learn something, please give me a bit more time!" That was Hermione Granger's voice, so she was here as well. The pain was gone. No, not gone but masked somehow. "I'm so glad you got us out of there before we were marked, that magic mass scared me." Greengrass didn't know the half of it, but based on where her voice came from, she was supporting his weight. "Do you think the Demerol is working?" The unrecognized voice again. "I didn't give him a full dose since we have so little."

"Is that what is masking the pain?" Severus managed to ask, even though his head was now feeling as if it was no longer attached to his body.

"Yes," Luna's voice responded from his left side before speaking to Hermione. "You are doing quite well, Hermione, I didn't know it would bleed like this. When we removed the first half of the curse from Blaise, Tee, and Daphne, it did not bleed like this."

"Do you think you could explain to me what that _thing_ was?" A new voice, female, but mature asked from his right side.

"The archway is used to remove foreign magic from a creature," Harry said this time. "What little I was able to figure out from my reading seems to say that as long as the magic is caught within the field of the archway, it will be visible. There is a color code for the types of magic, but it did not list what the color black meant."

"Although we believe it has to do with soul binding magic." Luna again. "At least that is what we have observed so far. What you saw was a very dark spell that actually bound Mr. Snape's soul to the service of the Dark Lord. Harry cast a dismissal to destroy that binding magic."

"I think we are ready now, Harry." Hermione's voice again, also on his left side.

"Mobilicorpus."

Severus felt himself float into the air as the spell performed its intended purpose. While his thought processes were somewhat befuddled by that Demerol, he was able to follow some threads of thought. "Lovegood?" He garnered their attention. "I owe you an apology. I did not believe muggles could come up with something that could deal with this much pain. I was wrong, I can't think clearly, but I do not hurt."

"The muggles present accept your apology, and ask you use some other word than muggle," that first voice, a male voice, said from around Severus' feet.

Severus forced his eyes open, and then to focus. There were two adults dressed in comfortable muggle, no non-magical, clothing following his procession. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I think. In spite of what some people thought, I am glad to see you alive."

"We believe you, sir." Lovegood spoke from beside the adults now. "If you had enjoyed the thought of their deaths, you would have been a killer yourself, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Severus tried to nod his head in acknowledgment, but felt himself slip away from consciousness.

**Serious Talk **

Luna awoke with a start, sweating and shaking. She hated it when she dreamed like this.

Reliving her Daddy's death was hard; reliving all of the people she killed while her Daddy's ghost watched and commented on her style was horrid.

As her breathing calmed, Luna sat up in her bed and checked the time, 3:30 in the morning, and it would be hours before she would sleep again. Well, if she was awake, there was no reason she couldn't take advantage of her boyfriend.

Luna climbed out of her bed, headed out of her room, and padded down the hall to Harry's room. In just a minute she was looking down at his sleeping form. Harry was deeply asleep and had a half smile on his lips. Luna hoped he was dreaming of her, and grabbing the covers, she slipped into the bed, settled her back against Harry's chest, and wrapped his arms around her.

It was amazing how comfortable Luna felt in Harry's arms, comfortable and safe. Settling into Harry's chest just a bit more, Luna relaxed and listened to her boyfriend's steady breathing...

– – (()) – –

Harry knew there was something different about this morning; it was quite obvious that his arms were wrapped around the very sexy body of his girlfriend. That his arms were around Luna was not too much of a surprise, but that his arms were around Luna while he was still in his bed was. That, and Harry had no memory of Luna joining him in his bed.

"Er, Luna?" Harry whispered.

"Good morning, Harry," came the instant reply showing that Luna had not been sleeping. "I had no idea how comfortable lying in bed with you could be."

"I'm not complaining, mind you, but why did you decide to join me here?"

"I had a very bad dream, Harry," Luna replied after a several second pause. "I decided that if I had to be awake, you should be awake as well, to keep me company. But when I got here, you were sleeping so peacefully that I decided to join you instead of waking you."

"It was a very smart decision, I almost never get back to sleep after a nightmare like the one I had, but with your arms protecting me, I was able to get back to sleep almost right away," Luna continued to explain even as she cuddled in him even more.

Now Harry loved it when Luna cuddled, but waking up with a sexy blonde in his arms after a night of very pleasant dreams brought up a very physical reaction; a reaction that Luna had just cuddled up against.

"Oops, Harry!"

"Luna, I'm sorry..." Harry started to apologize as Luna scrambled from the bed and out of the room.

Since he was awake, and it looked like any morning cuddling was out of the question, Harry slipped from his bed and padded into his attached bathroom to take care of his morning ablutions.

After he had showered, Harry returned to his bedroom to find a blonde haired lump in his bed.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Luna's woebegone voice said. "I thought I was better than that."

"Better than what, my love?"

"I know some about the differences between boys and girls, but when I...I..." Luna's voice tapered into a whisper, and then into quiet.

"When you felt my reaction to you, you panicked," Harry completed the sentence.

"You don't sound mad, Harry," Luna said as she peeked out from the covers.

"Why would I be mad, Luna?" Harry asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Harry, I ran!"

"Yes, love, you did. But why do you think that was wrong, and something you should apologize for?"

Luna's head uncovered a bit more and she sat up to look at him, "I was about to ask you to be my anchor, Harry, and at the first physical sign you could do your part, I ran." Luna's voice was still too sorrowful for Harry's taste, but at least he had a reason to pursue.

"You know, Luna," Harry said as he finished crossing over to the bed and sat on the mattress where he could rub Luna's back. "I thought we had decided that I would be your anchor when you are ready. I am committed to you, and you are committed to me. I don't need anything more than that."

"I'm not ready, Harry, but it is becoming hard to find my way home during my seeings. I'm not ready, but if I don't have an anchor soon, I will become so lost, I won't be able to find my way back to you, and the only person I am willing to have as my anchor is you," Luna explained.

That stumped Harry for a moment; he really wished he had someone he and Luna could turn to for this. Wait a minute, they did. Harry leaned over to Luna's now uncovered face, and gave her an only slightly improper kiss. Then he rose from the bed, and helped Luna to her feet.

"Get dressed, my love, it is time we asked for help."

**Family Meetings**

Severus Snape was enjoying himself. It had been so long since he had been able to say that, it had taken him three days to realize and admit it. His new potions laboratory was clean and well organized - Snape thought he saw the Hermione Granger influence in its design until he had met Miss Granger's parents, and he discovered that Miss Granger had not helped design the lab, it had been Mrs. Granger, with help from her husband.

There had been some rough moments as Severus had admitted some of his past sins, but with additional conversation they had managed to form an armed truce. As it turned out, the adults were very concerned about the students they had seemed to have adopted by virtue of being the only adults in the sanctuary; their main concern being that the students were damaging themselves by being ruthless killers, and they were actively countering that where they could.

Currently the adults had invited him to an adult only breakfast being held at the small table outside of his lab, a breakfast that was just a bit earlier than when Potter, Lovegood, and his missing snakes would start their day. They started talking about the Demerol and what they knew about its manufacture. Then they moved to potions and some of the magical ingredients, and before Severus knew it, he was intrigued, and later he began to admire the intelligent adults. Finally, their talk evolved into surprisingly enjoyable small talk, until it was interrupted by the entrance of the two kids that were responsible for nearly all of the defeats the Dark Lord had suffered recently.

"Excuse us, Mr., Mrs. Granger, Potions Master," Harry said when he saw he had their attention. "Luna needs some help, and we are hoping Mr. Snape will have a better alternative than she and I have."

This was not the Harry Potter Severus had seen at Hogwarts. This Potter was taking his responsibilities seriously, and not showing off. Severus could see that Potter was working very hard, even harder than his snakes, and he was pushing his training, not so that he could be first, but so he could help the others become as good as he was becoming. And now Potter was admitting he and Lovegood needed help. Not something James Potter would have done, ever.

"Mr. Potter, Miss. Lovegood," Severus acknowledged them. "What is the problem?"

"I know we have danced around the issue since you got here, sir." Harry was also looking at Severus fairly, but with the other adults present, Severus did not dip into Harry's mind. "But Luna developed seer abilities the day we left Hogwarts."

"Miss Lovegood, I was afraid that that was the case, and you have my sympathy."

"Why would Luna being a seer be something that seems to upset you, Severus?" Robyn Granger asked.

Severus looked at Potter, and received a little nod that seemed to indicate it was okay for Severus to answer, yet another sign that this was not James Potter.

"A seer's ability generally does not manifest itself in someone as young as Miss. Lovegood. The few times I am aware of it happening led to the young seer going mad." Severus answered Robyn's question before turning back to the Harry and Luna.

"How do you think I might be able to help?"The question was asked in a gentler tone than Severus often used when dealing with students.

"Luna's family talked about a ritual that could 'anchor' the seer to someone, giving her a stable place to return to from the multitude of futures they see."

Harry was becoming embarrassed as he started to explain, and Lovegood was already in a full blush.

"May I assume this ritual requires a virgin sacrifice?" Severus asked, having heard of such a ritual.

"It had better not require someone to be sacrificed!" interrupted Evan Granger.

"You misunderstood my statement, Evan, and I will explain once Potter answers," Severus interrupted Evan in turn only for Robyn to interrupt him.

"I think you can learn to use their given names, Severus."

"It's okay, Mrs. Granger, this is uncomfortable enough, and I'm not sure I'm ready to discuss this informally," Harry said to Robyn, before turning back to Severus. "Yes, it does require Luna's virgin blood. We are hoping you know of a different ritual, or a way to modify the existing one."

"This ritual would require you and Luna to...," Robyn started.

"We would have to have sexual intercourse," Harry answered the leading question. "While we are committed to each other, and I hope to earn that right someday today, we both think we are two young to make the beast with two backs, as Luna likes to say."

"Why would this ritual require someone so young to perform such a thing?" Robyn asked, aghast.

"When I said that a seer's abilities generally show up in someone who is older, I meant several years older. Old enough that the seer is often no longer a virgin, which does require that the ritual be modified," Severus said while thinking aloud.

"I will want to see the Lovegood ritual, and I may need someone to get a book from my family's vault, but I do think we can modify the ritual enough to allow Mr. Potter to anchor Miss. Lovegood to the here and now, without you needing to consummate your bond that way."

"Thank you, sir," Luna said, speaking for the first time. "I love Harry very much, but I am not ready for that kind of intimacy. Harry has agreed to wait until I am ready, and has not been pushing me."

Harry then turned to Evan and Robyn. "Can we please get you to help us understand, well, I mean..."

"You are actually asking for 'The Talk'?" Evan asked.

"Well, I know the basics, but yes, I think I, we, need more information than we have if we need to go through with the full ritual. Luna has volunteered that it is becoming harder to find her way home, so something will need to be done inside the next month. There is something big coming in a month, and we will need a lot of help to see our way through it."

Harry turned back to Severus. "We are going to need more Demerol by then, either what you can make or we will need to steal some."

Harry then returned his attention to the Grangers. "Hermione will need to be ready for some emergency first aid by then as well."

"What can you tell us about what is coming, Harry?" Robyn asked.

"We don't really know just yet, ma'am," Luna replied. "At this point, it could go any of five different ways, and in each of those ways, our group will need to intervene. I am hoping for the simple solution but we can't tell just yet."

**Long-range Plans**

Luna paused, before becoming less focused on the here and now, but rather on what she could see elsewhen. "What we do need is some method of killing a wizard at long range. Tom has to be killed several times, and I would be much happier if Harry didn't have to do it face-to-face."

"First, how can someone be killed several times?" Evan asked. "You have mentioned that before, but each time before it was not a good time for an explanation."

"Have you heard us mention a Horcrux?" Harry asked while he and Luna approached, and then sat around the table.

"I'm not sure, if you have I have forgotten it," Evan replied.

"You're sure the Dark Lord has one of those?" Severus asked at the same time.

"Actually, we are sure he created several Horcruxes." Luna answered Severus first while Harry turned to the Grangers.

"Tom used a series of very dark rituals to split his soul and store his fractured soul bit in a physical object," Harry said, starting to answer Evan's question. "The thing that holds that bit of Tom's soul is called a Horcrux. The result of these rituals is that Tom can't be really killed. As long as any of his Horcruxes exist he isn't really dead, and there are three rituals that can be used to re-embody him."

"As Harry mentioned," Luna picked up the thread of the tale, "there are only three rituals that can be used to give Tom a new body. One of the rituals was used at the end of the tri-wizard tournament, giving Tom his current body. As long as we don't let Tom get hold of some of Harry's blood, that ritual can't be used again. The second ritual can't be used because it requires the willing sacrifice of a child under the age of two years. None of Tom's followers have a child of the appropriate age, and for the ritual to work, the natural parents must be willing to offer up the child."

"That leaves the last ritual, the one we want Tom to use because it uses the soul found in a Horcrux to fill the body so to speak, which leaves one less Horcrux. Thanks to some of the conditions imposed by the ritual, Tom wouldn't be able to replace that Horcrux for a lunar month. If we can keep killing Tom's body faster than he can create replacement Horcruxes, Tommy boy will, finally, really die."

"Harry, because of a prophecy, is the only one that can kill Tom, which is why we need some way for Harry to safely kill the Dark Lord multiple times, preferably from a distance, because I, for one, do not want Harry to have to actually duel Tom. There would be several of Tom's Death Eaters helping with the ritual, leaving Harry outnumbered."

"If we were in a country other than England," Evan thought aloud, "we could get a rifle and a scope. The current sniper rifle used by the British Army is accurate and deadly to over eleven hundred yards. But getting such a thing for private use isn't legal, and the contacts I used to get my pistol couldn't be used for such a large weapon."

"Spell casting has always been a short range type of fighting," Severus said, adding his knowledge. "The wand movements for even some of the simplest combat spells mandate a close range, or the chances of missing become unacceptably large."

"Can you store a spell to be used later?" Evan asked.

"The only thing I have ever seen that would hold a spell was that archway we have all had to pass through." Severus answered Mr. Granger's question. "Before I saw the spells held in that field, I didn't think it was possible at all. Why? Do you have an idea?"

"I don't know, maybe," Evan said, his eyes focused onto something only he could see. "We would have to be able to store a cast spell, and we would need to be able to release the stored spell on command." Evan paused, and blinking, he turned to Harry. "I can get a scope that would allow you to aim at something from half a mile away, but we would need some means of sending the spell where it was aimed."

"Another option that non-magical fighters use sounds even harder. A weapon is aimed at a bright light, and follows that light wherever it goes. This is used to deliver ordnance that has been dropped from an aircraft to exactly the point you want the explosion."

Luna stood excitedly. "The Lovegood spells include one that will seek a light. No one has ever been able to find a use for such a thing, but I think it can be wrapped around a Confringo, a blasting curse. Harry is good at the dismissals, so if we can create a small field, it will hold the spell, and Harry could dismiss that field, freeing the stored spell. Dismissals do not require wand movements."

"I will see about getting a laser. They actually sell something we could use as a pointer for presentations. I'll have my contacts pick up several scopes. Germany makes several really good scopes." Evan stood as well. "I will need to get access to the non-magical world for this however."

"I can get you to a house just outside of London, Sir," Harry volunteered and then turned to Severus. "If you want to come with us, we can stop at Gringotts. You haven't had the chance to fly yet."

"Fly? Don't tell me you fly a broomstick over London!"


	10. Chapter 9: Things Start to Heat Up

**Chapter 9: Things Start to Heat Up**

**Taking care of Fudge and the Toad**

Albus Dumbledore was not looking forward to this session of the Wizengamot. In the time since the chamber had basically been taken over by the Longbottom-Black-Malfoy coalition, things had gone better than Albus had expected. With the three groups voting differently on some of the less important issues, this had had the effect of calming the fears of some of the neutral families, and allowing for some true debate in the chamber. But today that idiot, Fudge, planned to bring Umbridge back. Neville would not let something like that slip by him, and Albus was quite impressed with how well Neville was adapting to the politics of the Wizengamot. He wasn't really happy about it, but Albus was impressed.

"This session of the Wizengamot is now called to order," Albus intoned. "Will all of those who need to register proxy changes please make their way to the speaker's podium."

Surprisingly, there were no changes this session. This was a first since Narcissa had taken over the Malfoy proxies. Albus had asked how she had maintained those votes, in spite of voting in opposition to the Dark Lord's wishes. Amelia had answered that the widow Malfoy had requested that all of the Malfoy proxy changes be presented through the Ministry of Magic building, and all of the people that had granted Malfoy their proxy were on the list to be checked for a dark mark. It was proving to be a very successful plan, as so far three more Death Eaters had been imprisoned. And since they brought themselves to the Ministry, no one had died in their capture.

"Since there are no vote changes to record, let us proceed with the old business," Albus said starting the actual working part of this session.

– – (()) – –

"Is there any new other new business to be brought before the Wizengamot?" Albus asked, aware that the fireworks were about to really start.

"I have an issue and question to bring before the chamber, Chief Warlock," the self important voice of Cornelius Fudge spoke up, just as Albus had expected.

"Minister, we welcome you back, it has been a while since we have seen you here," Albus responded. "What business do you wish to bring before us?"

"It has been brought to my attention that several citizens have been incarcerated, and some have even been given to the veil without having received a trial. I wish to ask the Department of Magical Law Enforcement how this is possible." Fudge spoke to the chamber, confident that he knew where the power in the chamber lay.

"Madam Bones." Albus turned to the graying lady beside him. This was not what he had expected, and he was truly curious about this as well. "Do you have an answer to the Minister's question? Or will you need to research this issue?"

"Actually, Chief Warlock, I can answer the Minister's query," Amelia answered, before turning to address the entire Wizengamot. "All of the people currently being held or having been given to the veil are admitted Death Eaters. The DMLE is holding them under the emergency response act of 1700. This law was enacted when there were too many prisoners and not enough prison cells right after the formation of the Ministry of Magic. It grants my department the right to question any and all prisoners under the effects of Veritaserum, and any prisoner that has killed more than five times may be given to the veil with no further legal recourse."

"But? What?" Fudge blustered in shock. "What gave you the right to enact that emergency response act?"

"You did, Minister."

"I did no such thing!"

"Actually, Minister, you did," Amelia said. "You informed me that there was no money in the budget to repair Azkaban, and that it was unfit to hold any additional prisoners since the Dark Lord destroyed most of the prison fortress. Two days later, the DMLE was swamped with suspected Death Eater prisoners, which allowed for the automatic activation of the emergency response act."

Albus Dumbledore did not enjoy the thought that he had helped set Fudge up to be Minister. The man had turned out to be more of a tool to the biggest purse, rather than a tool that Albus could wield. But Madam Bones had just delivered the death blow to the graft and bribery that had defined this man's term of office. On the other hand, Amelia had just admitted that she had executed pure-blooded citizens.

"Madam Bones, I need to ask why you feel these people needed to die. Shouldn't they have been granted a chance to reform?" Albus asked.

"Is your hearing going bad, Chief Warlock?" Madam Bones snorted, disdain dripping in her voice. "I am only allowed to give people to the veil if they had killed MORE than five people. You tell me how to give the murdered a second chance, and I'll consider giving the murderers a second chance."

Albus reared back as if he had been slapped. It had been a long time since someone had attacked his viewpoint at all, much less so effectively.

"Hem, hem," the chamber became quiet as the (ugly) pink vision that was Dolores Umbridge entered the chamber and started to make her way up towards a seat beside the Minister's. She did not make it.

"What is that _person_ doing in this chamber?" asked an angry Augusta Longbottom. The Longbottom matriarch was standing, and was visibly quivering with outrage. "The only reason that individual should be in this chamber is if she were in chains and being tried for her crimes."

It was obvious Umbridge had not expected that kind of a response to her 'triumphant' return, and she stumbled to a halt and stared in shock at the formidable lady. But since Fudge had made it a point of not attending most of the Wizengamot's sessions since Augusta, Neville and Narcissa had started coming, it was possible she had no idea she would not be welcomed with open arms.

"I...Am...Waiting...Minister! What is she doing here?" Several of the people seated around Augusta were trying to make themselves smaller and unnoticed.

"The Senior Under-secretary has been released from her stay at St. Mungo's, and I invited her to return..."

"You invited her? She is accused of torturing students while she stayed at Hogwarts," Augusta interrupted Fudge, giving him the first clue that he had under estimated how Umbridge's return would be viewed.

"All lies," Dolores stated, and thus sealed her fate.

"I do not like being called a liar, Madam Umbitch!"

Albus actually sat even further back in his chair. This was not the Neville he had seen in the halls of Hogwarts. This was no boy, he was a young man, confident in his position and his power. His mangling of Dolores' name was drawn out, obviously intentional.

"Minister, I will not stand by and let this poor excuse of a witch take part in any of the proceedings. You have a choice to make, do you support what this woman did at Hogwarts?" Neville asked.

"Sure...surely what she did wasn't as bad as you think?" Fudge asked tentatively, thus sealing his own fate.

"Minister, what she did was worse," Neville exclaimed.

"Thomas, please take Madam Umbridge from the chamber, and see to it that she is escorted to an interrogation chamber. Master Longbottom, after today's session, would you please meet with me about your accusations," Madam Bones said with a smile on her face. It was well known that she hated Dolores.

"Chief Warlock, I request a short recess to allow the DMLE a chance to evaluate the accusations being made against the Senior Under-secretary."

Albus was startled by the request, and he was startled by the person making the request. Octavius Pepper was the undeclared leader of the neutral families, for him to make such a request was not at all expected. As Albus stared at the man, Pepper was staring at Augusta, and was making the sign that he wanted to meet with her. There were several common types of signs that the different members of the chamber would use, and Octavius was trying to meet with the Longbottom-Malfoy coalition about something, and he did not want to wait until later to do it.

"I am agreeable, Chief Warlock," Neville responded after glancing at his grandmother.

"I admit to being willing as well, Chief Warlock," Amelia said as she stood. "It is nearly time to break for lunch anyway; can we agree to be back here after 1:30?"

"Are there any objections?" Albus asked, and when none were forwarded, he continued. "Very well, we are in recess, and will reconvene at 1:30 this afternoon."

While he had not been a part of the requested meeting, Albus made his way down to the floor and then to the area where Octavius, Augusta, and Narcissa were gathered, and made it in time to hear Octavius start the impromptu meeting.

"We would love to get rid of the current Minister, and his toadies, but we have never had enough votes. If we neutrals were to vote in common with your block, we would have the two thirds majority required to force Fudge out of office with a vote of no-confidence. Without the neutral votes, your group is well short of the two thirds required."

"What do you want from us, Pepper?" asked Narcissa in a cautious voice.

"We would want to know who you would support to be the next Minister," Octavius answered. "While it takes a two thirds majority to force the man out, it takes only a simple majority to vote the next one in. While we do not like Fudge, we have been working around the man for a long time. You have been cautious, and haven't been throwing your weight around as much as we had feared you would. But I expect you would be very interested in who was elected as the next Minister."

Narcissa spoke up. "Actually, I might have an answer to your problem. It has been many years, but we could hold an open election. Then I only have one vote, and Augusta has one vote, and Neville is not old enough to vote."

Octavius looked at the lady, and frowned. "It was the work of your late husband that prevented the last several elections."

"Then it seems only just, that I work to undo my late husband's mistakes," Narcissa answered.

"If you all will agree to an open election, we neutrals will support a vote of no confidence against the current idiot in office." Octavius sounded relieved. "I, we, thank you for this."

"You are welcome, sir," both Narcissa and Augusta responded with Augusta continuing. "I will let Neville know what is expected."

In minutes, Albus was left standing in an empty room. His opinion had not been asked, and he had not said a thing. It was just another sign that Albus Dumbledore was no longer in control of magical Britain.

– – (()) – –

Fudge had not wished to return to the Wizengamot's chamber, but he had been 'escorted' by two of the neutral members under Pepper when it was time to reconvene.

"The Wizengamot is back in session. Madam Bones, do you have anything you will be able report about the Senior Undersecretary?"

"Chief Warlock, Madam Umbridge has been transferred to a Ministry cell, and will be facing trial before this chamber in the near future. She is not a Death Eater, and has killed no one, but she is certainly guilty of torturing minors while at she was at Hogwarts."

Neville stood and requested permission to speak, and once that was granted, he spoke the words everyone except Fudge himself expected.

"Chief Warlock, I call for a vote of no confidence for the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, for his support of torture of minors, and for his unwarranted interference with the running of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Fudge sat in total shock, his mouth opening and closing, but with no sounds emitting.

"Seconded!"Augusta's voice rang out clearly.

– – (()) – –

"The open elections will be held in two months, and anyone wishing to run for Minister will be required to appear before this body in two weeks." Albus summarized the results of the session.

Just as Albus was congratulating himself on sliding through the day with no major upsets of his own plans, Augusta stood to address him. "Chief Warlock, with the election of a new Minister, I hope you understand that all of the members of the Wizengamot will be expected to give their own oath. All of the members, including the Chief Warlock."

"Madam Longbottom, I am sure you..."

"Yes, Chief Warlock, I know, and it will not be allowed to continue. For too long you have played too many offices against each other. I blame you for a part of what happened at Hogwarts this past year. If you had taken your oath as a Headmaster, you could not be the Chief Warlock. If you were the Headmaster by oath as well as by office, you would not have needed to accept that woman as an instructor. I am not sure about the oath for the ICW, but I expect that you can't truly be the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and not have conflict of interest while being a Chief Warlock of one of the member countries. I am not going to tell you which office or offices to give up, but you will swear the oath of office to either Hogwarts or to the Wizengamot when we install a new minister."

Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and cringed. It had been over twenty years since anyone had made any noise at all about his actually swearing any of his oaths of office. Madam Longbottom was correct. He could not truly swear the official Headmaster's oath to Hogwarts, and also the Chief Warlock's oath to the Wizengamot. Parts of each oath came in conflict. With Madam Longbottom's group holding a majority, it looked like he would need to actually give up some of his hard won authority.

**A Different Snape**

Hermione Granger paused at the doorway, seeing Severus Snape already in the room they had all dubbed the library. Hermione would often spend an hour or two in the afternoons reading or researching whatever subject caught her fancy, but normally she would have this room to herself. Harry, Luna, Blaise, Tracey and Daphne would normally be engaged in other pursuits, and none of them liked to research just to do research.

Hermione hadn't had much contact with Snape since he had arrived, although it seemed her parents were warming to the man, and there were some obvious differences in Snape's appearance. The easiest to see was the clean, groomed hair the hated potions professor now sported. It was still as black as midnight, and long, but greasy was no longer a word that applied.

But today, Snape sat in the library, with the lights dimmed, and was staring at nothing.

"Sir?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Snape stirred, and his eyes focused on Hermione. "Miss Granger."

"Are you well, sir? I am becoming somewhat proficient at healing if you..."

"Cease your prattle, Miss Granger," Snape interrupted her. "I am physically well. I could argue that I am better physically now than I have been for a good many years." The man paused, then shook himself. "I'm sorry, Miss Granger, that was uncalled for. The habits I picked up while teaching don't disappear just because I want them to, I apologize."

Hermione had been crossing over to the man, and stopped, at first because of the bile he was sending her way, and then in shock as the man apologized.

"Sir? Are you sure you are feeling okay?" Hermione asked even more tentatively.

"Has Potter ever taken you 'flying', Miss Granger?"

"Yes, several times," Hermione answered while becoming quite animated. "It isn't every afternoon, but generally at least four times a week. I am almost done with my own multi-use medallion, and am looking forward to the updates Harry is planning for the pouch belt he is designing."

"Miss Granger, how did you feel the first time you were changed into an owl?"

"Ah, Harry said he was out this morning," came the reply. "In answer to your question, I was a bit overwhelmed, just as I expect you are right now. But, I was with my best friend, and he had gone out of his way to rescue me. So I thought it was one of the most amazing things."

"I will grant it was amazing," Snape said. "Potter walking through trees, and growing feathers seemingly at will was not something I was prepared for, however. That and Potter seems so very different to me right now. I don't know if my attitude is different, or if Potter is different, or if having my ugly tattoo removed is making that big of a difference."

"A bit of each of them, I think, Sir," Hermione answered after thinking for a short time. "Here Harry has a purpose, and clearly defined goals he needs to work towards. At Hogwarts, the Headmaster never gave Harry any direction if he could help it. Harry is not the grand planner, he wants a goal he can work towards. Also, Harry is picking up some of Luna's habits, and Luna was in Ravenclaw for a reason. Finally, you are considerably different here than you were at Hogwarts. You talking to me like this is a rather major departure from anything that happened while you were one of my professors."

"The dark mark was eating at my soul while the Headmaster seemed to feel that I should be happy teaching. I don't like teaching school students. I'm not sure I would even like teaching an apprentice. Here I am not teaching, I have been given worthy goals, just like Potter, and my soul is actually healing a little bit at a time. To change the subject a bit," Snape continued. "You mentioned you are making your own medallion; are you done with the book? I think I will want to make one myself. I was quite put out that Potter was wearing clothes, while I was not."

"While Hermione may loan you the book, Sir." Luna announced her presence, as she entered the room, "I fear we are all going to be very busy over the next two weeks. Harry is gathering the rest of our clan. Once they are all here, I need to let you know what happened elsewhere today, and what it means for both our immediate future, and the longer range ramifications."

**Of Anchors and Werewolves**

Evan Granger looked up from his work when Severus and Harry entered the workroom usually reserved for the adults.

"…pleased that you were able to create the potion so quickly," Harry finished the thought that he had started before entering the room. Evan and Robyn had also been pleased when Severus had been able to create a very creditable copy of the Demerol as quickly as he had. Luna had informed all of her clan, as she called the odd group of people living in her family's reserve, that the timeline needed to be accelerated. Instead of a month, they all needed to be ready in less than two weeks.

"You are lucky beyond what you deserve that the brewing of this potion didn't require weeks of preparation," Severus replied. "Mr. Potter, I have been studying the anchoring rituals, and have discovered the changes that are required for the ritual to work without needing you and Miss Lovegood to..."

"But that's great," Harry interrupted Severus, and turned to leave to room. He had only taken three steps before he stopped and turned back to Severus. "Except you purposely got me away from Luna to tell me. There must be something else."

Evan could tell that Severus had been just about to snap at the young man. That Harry had caught on and had returned had thrown the taciturn man for a loop.

"You are a slow learner, Potter!" Severus paused. "But I will admit, I am not displeased you figured that out yourself." Then the moment was gone, and Snape, the black snake of Slytherin, returned. "Yes, there is something else; you need not become intimate with Miss Lovegood, but you must be more than just friends. In order for the ritual to work, you need to be engaged."

"Engaged, Severus?" Evan had to ask, bringing attention to himself. Severus, Evan was sure, had known he was there, but Harry jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, in spite of how foolishly young they are, they must be engaged for Potter to anchor Miss Lovegood. I felt it necessary to let Potter know in private so he could ask Miss Lovegood in private." Severus turned back to Harry. "For this to work, you must be engaged."

"Er, thanks for the heads up. I think," Harry said to Severus.

"Potter," Severus responded with a nod. "I confess I thought you would be happier at the prospect."

"As I see it, sir, I have a lose-lose situation here. I can ask Luna to marry me, and when I tell her it is required for me to be her anchor, it will spoil some of her pleasure. Or I can tell her up front that it is needed for me to be her anchor, and she won't think I really mean it for the right reasons."

"Do you want to marry Luna, Harry?" Evan asked.

"Yes, I think so. But in our conversations about it, marriage was a ways down the line. I really feel I'm committed to Luna, but neither of us really wanted to push it."

"Well, I am pleased you have both already talked about it," Evan said. "Since you have, I really think it won't hurt Luna too badly to find out you need to rush things a bit to keep her sane."

"I hope so, Mr. Granger." Harry spoke more to himself than Evan. "Do you think you can find the time to help me pick out a ring?"

"Since we don't have a lot of time, how about tomorrow morning?"

"Thanks, Mr. Granger." Harry then turned to Severus. "Thank you as well, Sir. Based on how hard you have been working, you must have been researching late into the night."

Severus nodded in answer. "You are taking this seriously, which bodes well for your futures."

Harry nodded to both Evan and Severus and left the room.

"Does Potter know what you are doing, Evan?" Severus asked. It amazed both Robyn and Evan how different this man was with them as compared to how he treated the kids. Even the three that came from his house at Hogwarts continued to walk gently around the man. Every once in a while, Severus would slip through, but mostly the kids had to deal with Snape.

"No, fortunately he was so focused on what you were telling him that he didn't realize what I am working on."

"I admit I am not too sure what you are doing either. It looks like you are loading a muggle pistol of some kind, but I haven't seen any that load quite like this before."

"You are looking at two replicas of the Remington 1858 revolver."

"Why am I looking at such a thing?" Severus asked. He wasn't being snide or trying to sound superior, but he was clearly puzzled.

"These Remington 1858's were one of the last revolvers made that were known as 'cap and ball' revolvers. They were in use just before the self-contained bullets became popular. As for why I have these pistols, being among the last cap and ball means it was also one of the last types of pistol that would let you cast your own bullets. It is also fairly easy to get one of these replicas because of the number of people in the United States that collect these pistols and actually have contests using them."

Severus looked more closely at the workbench, "Silver? Ah, Miss Lovegood is worried about some werewolves."

"Yes, _Luna_ is worried about some werewolves, and asked if I would be able to help in some manner. Hermione confirmed that the muggle myth about werewolves and silver was accurate, and here we are."

Severus snorted, and chuckled quietly. "_Miss Lovegood_ would faint if I called her by her given name, and Potter would be checking me for polyjuice. Back to the work you are doing, it seems you have several of these revolvers, or at least it seems you have more pieces than you should."

"I have two Remington 1858's with extra cylinders for each weapon. It would take far too long to try and reload in the field, so multiple cylinders are loaded and carried. It will still take between seven and fifteen seconds to change cylinders and that means carrying them with the caps already in place. But that is better than the five or more minutes it takes to hand load a single cylinder."

"And you think any of the children will be able to handle one of these?" Severus asked.

"No, I think I will need to handle these. Actually with one other adult; you I hope."

"Me? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Severus, I am very serious," Evan answered. "Luna thinks it would be best to do a preemptive strike on the pack of werewolves that have sworn themselves to Voldemort. Based on what I know and have heard, I agree, but I will need some magical person that can get me into and out of the strike zone. You are the only magical adult here at this time, so it will need to be you. Do you think you could spend a bit of time with me while I go over how these weapons work? I will arrange for some target practice..."

**Engaged**

Luna Lovegood glanced up from her lunch when her boyfriend sat down beside her. There was something up. Harry had missed their morning meeting and planning session, although Robyn had excused Harry by saying that Evan had needed Harry to assist with a shopping trip to London. Severus had mentioned that he had agreed to help Evan with the werewolves, so Luna accepted that Evan had needed some more supplies, and Harry would be the best one to take him.

"Hey, Lady Luna," Harry said as he leaned in for a kiss. "I'm sorry I missed this morning. Is there anything I need to catch up on?"

The 'Lady Luna' was a recent development, but Luna wasn't going to complain, and any kiss she got from Harry was something to be treasured. They had been a 'thing' for a while now, and if anything, Luna was enjoying the kissing more now than when the two of them had first started to kiss.

"No, Harry, nothing new came up. Snape is willing to assist with the werewolves, as I expect you know since you were helping Mr. Granger. Daphne, Tee, and Blaise have finished the modifications to the Lovegood house, so we are ready on that front. Hermione and her mum have come up with a defibbbber thingy to help with the injured."

"Um, Luna, do you mean defibrillator?" Harry interrupted.

When Luna nodded her confirmation, Harry exclaimed, "I didn't know Hermione had gotten that far!" He then motioned to his girlfriend to continue.

"Yes, Harry, I think that is what they called it, but they have said they don't want to need to use it. Snape has finished his third batch of the Cruciatus relief potion, and says he will be able to finish a double batch of the serum of life just in time. About the only thing missing from this morning, was that I didn't get a cuddle, hug or kiss from you."

"If you would be willing to skip a bit of lunch and I'll try to make that up to you."

Harry didn't volunteer to cuddle during the day often, so Luna's response didn't require much thought at all. "Yes, please, Harry."

Harry escorted her to his room, and nearly as soon they were in the room with the door shut, Harry wrapped her up in his arms, and started out with a toe curling kiss... Glorianna!

– – (()) – –

It was several minutes later when Luna surfaced for air.

"Harry, what is going on? I dearly love kissing you, but something is off."

Harry sighed and pulled her even closer to him; a feat Luna hadn't been sure could be accomplished.

"Luna, Snape finished his research on the anchoring ritual."

"Since that hasn't been announced, I am guessing that he found nothing."

"Actually he did find something, but, Luna, what he found still requires us to be more than just friends. In order for this ritual to work, you and I need to be engaged."

Luna blinked up at Harry while she processed that.

"We have talked about the future, and while I wanted to do this sometime, and do it better, my hand is being forced. Luna, will you marry me?"

Luna savored the moment, her boyfriend, Harry Potter, had just asked her to marry him. Harry had asked her, Loony Luna Lovegood. Wow!

"Harry, I have to ask. Why are you asking me to marry you?"

"How about because I love you, and I want to have you by my side always," Harry answered with nearly no hesitation. "I want to marry you because you are the one person I think I could live with for the rest of my life. The only reason I am asking today instead of during a candlelit dinner, or some other romantic event, is because I don't want you to go mad from your seer's gift."

"Wow!"

"Uh, Luna, I'm waiting here."

"Yes, Harry, I will marry you sometime in the future," Luna said putting the poor boy out of his misery. "But as we have already discussed, I think it should be..."

"Yes, I know," Harry interrupted. "Sometime later, but I would like it if we planned for sometime after Tom is really dead."

Luna thought about it and nodded. "After Tom is really dead. I can agree with that."

"I have a couple of rings for us," Harry announced while pulling a box from his pocket. "Mr. Granger helped me pick them out."

"Just how many people knew you were going to ask me, Harry?" Luna's frosty tone warned Harry he needed to answer carefully.

"Mr. Granger was in the room when Snape let me in on the result of his research. While I didn't swear him to secrecy, I don't think he told anyone else," Harry answered truthfully. Then Harry opened the box.

"…"

"Erm, Luna, are you okay? I can take them back if you..."

Harry never got to finish that sentence as his lips became otherwise involved.

In the box lay a pair of simple rings with yellow and white gold intertwined. Once Luna released Harry, he picked up the smaller ring, and put it on Luna's finger. Then he let Luna put the larger of the rings on his own finger. Much as Harry wanted to say something special, he knew he was pants at that kind of thing, so instead he re-wrapped Luna in a hug and whispered, "I love you."

**Catching Up On, Well, Everyone!**

Amelia Bones had just left Dumbledore's office. Albus had requested her help in locating Severus Snape. It seemed the man had disappeared. While Albus had received a letter of resignation, supposedly from Severus, no one could be found at his house, and it was worrisome that a chair with ropes tied to it had been found there.

It was just one more thing that was going wrong. Ever since Harry had run away from the house on Privet drive, Albus had been having a rough time of it.

It had all started to go wrong with Harry's disappearance: Albus could no longer access the Potter vaults, vaults he had been accused of stealing from; the Grangers had disappeared; the Wizengamot was no longer under Albus' control; and finally, it looked like Albus would no longer be able to play his three positions of power off of each other.

No, Albus Dumbledore could not say he was having a good summer.

– – (()) – –

Amelia Bones, on the other hand, was having a very good summer. She had started bringing her niece, Susan, to the Wizengamot sessions, and Susan was now spending more and more time with Neville Longbottom. Amelia had some mixed feelings about that, but it was looking more and more like Susan was planning a long term relationship with the new head of the House of Black. And Amelia was about to run for Minister, something she had always wanted to do.

– – (()) – –

Hermione Granger was sitting with her mum in the parlor of the suite of rooms the Granger family had taken for themselves. It had been a rollercoaster of a ride, but things were looking up. She was closer to her parents than she had been in a very long time, and they were helping her with her studies. More importantly, Hermione had become very close to all of her peers here in the Reserve, and they were depending on her to help them now. Her skills, her knowledge, her abilities were needed.

– – (()) – –

Lord Voldemort sat back from his planning. It would be a major strike. Larger than anything he had tried before. Yes, it would be glorious, and not just England but the world would cringe at his name.

– – (()) – –

Neville Longbottom came up for a breath and looked down at the gorgeous girl who had just agreed to be his girlfriend. He could get really used to kissing Susan this way. What a great summer!

– – (()) – –

Daphne stared out at the unchanging landscape of the Lovegood reserve. Tee and Blaise were having some 'alone' time again, but they were much more discreet about it now, so she did not feel as left out as she had been, and Granger, of all people, was now someone Daphne could spend some time with. Daphne was not a Death Eater, she had not been raped, and she had found another intelligent person she could speak with. It was mostly a good summer. Even with all of the killing she was doing.

– – (()) – –

Evan and Severus crept towards the house; they each had two loaded and prepared pistols ready. If all went according to their plan, they would fire their first shots though windows at a bit of a distance. Then they would close in to finish the job. As they got close enough to take the first shot, they discovered that the werewolves were celebrating something, and had posted no guards; a mistake that would cost them.

– – (()) – –

Luna Lovegood woke from her seeing and smiled. The anchoring ceremony had been simple to perform and already it had made a difference. Severus and Evan were both fine, and that pack of werewolves were no more. The number of people that had been saved by tonight's raid counted in the thirties. Because she was anchored, it had taken just a moment to return to herself.

Luna got up from her bed and once again made the trek to Harry's room. She wanted to be near him tonight. Actually she wanted to be near him all of the time - a side effect of the anchoring ritual. No wonder it required that they be at least engaged. (She was engaged to marry Harry Potter, who would believe that?) Luna felt like she was being pulled closer and closer to Harry. If the way she was feeling continued to grow, she might be ready to enter into a more physical relationship with Harry sooner that she had expected.

**Another group?**

"Report!" Amelia barked as she got to the tumbled down house.

"Eight dead, boss," Thomas responded. "Whoever sent you that tip was right. There was murder done last night."

Amelia shuddered, she had been worried that the vigilantes would go too far, and it looked like they might have. "What do we know, and were there any survivors?"

"I'm not sure it was the same group, boss. For one thing, all of these were killed by muggle means, and for another, all of the dead were werewolves."

"Werewolves? They were all werewolves?" Amelia was seldom this surprised in her work, but for a pack of werewolves to be taken down by muggle means was not the way things normally went. "How did muggles take them down?"

"All of the dead werewolves died of gunshot wounds. Based on how all the wounds look, they used silver bullets."

"The pack was hunted then, and by someone that knew they were werewolves. What did you mean by 'All of the dead'? Were there survivors?"

Thomas hunched his shoulders as he answered, not a good sign. "A single survivor, and based on how she looked, we have a new werewolf to register. One of my team is working with her now to stabilize her. She was a muggleborn witch, so at least the idea of magic will not have to be explained."

"Did she say anything about who took down the pack?"

"Only that there were two male adults, and that they didn't say anything to her. They did apply some first aid, and it looks like a couple of healing potions were used..." Thomas paused and looked over Amelia's shoulder.

Turning Amelia recognized the careworn figure approaching them.

"Lupin, what are you doing here?" Amelia asked.

"I got an owl this morning telling me to come here and offer my assistance. But I don't know what assistance I can be to you."

"Did you save that letter?"

"Yes, ma'am, I brought it with me." Remus handed over the puzzling correspondence.

"The same writing used on the letter that tipped us off to come here. May I keep this, Mr. Lupin?"

At Remus' nod, Amelia continued. "It may be that we do have something you may do to help, but please wait over there while I finish what I need to do here."

Remus nodded his understanding, and headed towards the area Amelia had pointed out.

Once Remus was out of easy listening range, Amelia turned back to Thomas. "Anything else you know about the survivor?"

"No, Ma'am, but we do have an ID on most of the pack."

"We knew about this pack?" Amelia asked as she raised her eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, we didn't know they were a pack, but we knew of them. Their pack leader, and one of the dead, was Fenrir Greyback, and we have warrants for all of the others we have identified. There are still two we aren't sure about, but based on the company they kept and the survivor, it's likely they were known as well."

Amelia let out a sigh and relaxed a bit.

"Boss?"

It seemed Thomas had caught how tense she had been.

"I was worried that our group of vigilantes had attacked a law abiding group," Amelia responded. "To find out that they took out some werewolves that we wanted taken down is a relief."

"Up until this raid, the only people that we could accuse them of killing had been Death Eaters. Most of those Death Eaters were killed while actively fighting our forces. Officially, I have to hunt this group down, just like we hunt down any other criminals. Unofficially, I am ignoring this group. We are trying to pin down as much information as we can, but I'm not utilizing any resources in actively trying to track down and bring in any of them."

"You think this raid is linked?" Thomas asked, curious about Amelia's thoughts.

"Right now I do. It's just a hunch since the normal spells weren't used. But my hunch feels right. There was no information about this pack living here, just like there was no information that made it out about the Malfoy raids. Also, we were notified, whoever they are, they aren't hiding from us like one would expect."

"And Mr. Lupin?"

"That actually counts in their favor. Remus is one of the few registered and law-abiding werewolves we have. It will be a kindness to our newest werewolf to have someone like Remus to help her adjust. Let me get him filled in, and then you can escort him and our victim to St. Mungo's."

**References:**

I found the information about the 'cap and ball' pistols at the following:

http: / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Colt_Army_Model_1860

http : / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Remington_Model_1858


	11. Chapter 10: The Longest Day

**Chapter 10: The Longest Day**

A/N: There is a short scene of the start of a rape in this chapter. Please be warned. It is surrounded by author notes if you wish to avoid that section.

I had several people mention that you can cast your own bullets for modern firearms. I did not know that when I wrote the last chapter, I knew one could re-use spent casings, but i thought you needed to purchase the bullets ready made. While writing chapter 22 I did find out, but felt it would not add anything to go back and re-write all of the sections as the Remingtons will be mentioned again. I am going with the idea that it would be easier to smuggle these older weapons then it would be to smuggle the newer ones.

**Ready, Set, Go!**

Hermione stared in amazed pride at the charmed board that took up a good portion of this one wall of their temporary base. It had taken Luna, Tracey, and herself two days to create this status board.

According to Luna, Voldemort was staging an all out assault with his remaining resources but fortunately, he had lost enough of his Death Eaters that he could not attack all of the locations at once. So, rather than attacking fewer houses, and to keep the Aurors running ragged, Tom was staggering the attacks, which meant that, because of the logistics, no more than three places would be attacked at any one time.

The tricky bit of charm work that Hermione was looking at showed a list of homes that Voldemort's Death Eaters were going to attack today in the order they would be attacked, and how many Death Eaters were expected to attack each house. There was also a count of people at risk, people saved, people lost (died), and Death Eaters killed.

To the right of this list was the list of the Luna's clan members, along with their status. The clan members at the top were the primary strikers: Harry, Luna, Tracey, Daphne and Blaise, with Snape acting as a standby. Hermione and her parents were acting as caregivers and healers, with Snape, again, as a backup.

The plan was for each striker team to get to a house, kill the attacking Death Eaters, transport any hurt back to this Lovegood house, which had been heavily modified into an emergency field hospital, and then grab the portkey to the next house on the list. The status board would then be updated magically when a house was attacked, and when a striker team entered and left a house.

In theory, if the striker teams could get in and out quickly enough, very few places would be attacked without some support being offered, and, hopefully the Aurors or the Order of the Phoenix would be helping at some of the locations.

If a striker team found that Aurors where already engaged with the Death Eaters at a place, they were to still kill all the Death Eaters they could, and then leave. The Aurors could supply first aid, and then transport any injured to the healers at St Mungo's.

The one exception to this rule was the Bones family. Amelia Bones was a primary target for this attack, so a full two or three teams of Death Eaters were going to be going after her, and Amelia had a small team of Aurors assigned to her for protection. But whatever forces Amelia had, they wouldn't be enough, so if at all possible, Amelia was to be brought here, to their temporary base, and kept here for at least the night.

Hermione nodded in satisfaction; they were as ready as they could be given the accelerated time frame they had been given. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turning, she found herself wrapped in a fierce hug.

"Have I told you how proud we all are at how you have adapted yourself?" Harry asked. "You are no longer a Know-It-All; you have become our facilitator. You don't force feed us knowledge, you help lead us to it, and considering what you needed to learn yourself, that is quite a feat."

"Harry Potter! You bring yourself and your Luna back from this God-awful mess." Hermione hugged her friend back, and then turned to the person that could always be found beside Harry these days.

"Luna, you be careful. I know I can't say the same to Harry, he doesn't listen, but I want you both back here tonight."

Luna simply smiled at Hermione and gave her just as fierce a hug as Harry had given her. "I didn't expect to become so much your friend as well, Hermione, thank you. I will try to keep my anchor and myself unhurt."

Daphne did not hug often, but she also wrapped Hermione in a hug. They didn't need words, they had spent long nights talking together. Daphne was the person that had started Hermione down the road towards being the facilitator she was becoming.

An additional quick hug to Tee and Blaise, and the teams formed up. Each team took their first portkey, and they were off.

The longest day had begun.

**All Hell**

Robyn leaned into her husband and life's mate as she and her companions waited for something to happen. She knew the kids were about to engage 'the enemy', and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Ever since Harry, Blaise, Tracey and Daphne had rescued them from those Death Eaters, Robyn had been waging a war of her own. A war to keep these kids, her kids, sane in spite of what they had done, had trained to do, and, now, what they were actually doing. Her husband was fully onboard with what she was trying to accomplish and was helping whenever and wherever he could, which only made her love the man even more, if that were possible.

Now here she was being held by Evan, even as she was holding Hermione, and they had been joined by another tortured soul, Severus, all of them waiting for some indication that her kids would be able to do this thing. The status board chimed softly, and the names of her missing kids changed from yellow to red. They had started fighting. What she didn't want to see was the color purple; that would indicate death, and that one of hers wasn't going to come home that night.

Robyn waited several lifetimes, likely a whole three minutes, before all five names changed back to yellow. Then the board updated to show that six people were no longer at risk, two houses were secured, and eight Death Eaters had died. Ten long seconds later and all five of the strikers were back, and were grabbing portkeys to the next locations.

"Rinse and repeat," Evan whispered. He had tried to explain that the first fight would be the easiest. The strikers would be in place first, and could ambush the attacking Death Eaters. But now the strikers would be playing catch up. They would still be a surprise to the attackers, but the Death Eaters would have their wands out and would be already casting...

"Why did you have to be right this time?" Robyn asked as the board chimed, and the colors went from the green of traveling, to yellow, and then immediately to red.

"Because you and they needed to know the truth," Evan replied as Hermione shuddered in Robyn's arms, but kept silent. The colors for the three person team, Blaise, Tracey, and Daphne switched back to yellow first, and then to green to indicate they were traveling again. Four more Death Eaters were dead, and a family of five had been saved. Harry and Luna's statuses changed to yellow just as the snakes were grabbing the next portkey: four additional Death Eaters killed, and another family saved, but a yellow mark indicated there would be injured coming back.

Robyn sighed even as she felt Evan do the same. They would have some work to do to keep their minds off what the kids were doing...

**Breaks Loose**

"Dimittere! Confringo!" Harry cast at the last defending Death Eater. The dismissal was a harder spell to cast than most of the other spells he used, but it would bring down a shield spell instantly, also causing the wizard that had cast the shield a moderate bit of pain, leaving the surprised and hurting Death Eater very vulnerable to Harry's follow-up spell. The only disadvantage to casting the dismissal was that it produced a visible sphere of magic that moved slowly enough so that a witch or wizard who wasn't cornered could dodge the spell.

As Harry's follow-up blasting curse destroyed the heart and lungs of the now dying Death Eater, Harry looked around for Luna, finding her casting simple healing spells as quickly as she could on the housewife this team of Death Eaters had been torturing. This group of Death Eaters had wanted the extra thrill of having the husband watch while they first tortured and then raped the wife, with the children to be tortured next. After crossing over to the husband and checking to see if he was okay, Harry then checked on the stunned children. The children were also fine, and Harry let out the breath he had been holding; this time he and Luna had made it in time.

Leaving the children stunned, Harry freed the husband saying, "The kids are fine, just stunned, I don't recommend you wake them till we get your wife stabilized."

"Which is done, Harry," Luna said. "They used the Cruciatus, so we need to transport them with us."

"Who are you? …" The surprised husband tried to ask even as the two young adults gathered his children and wife, and then held on to him as he felt a portkey activate, leaving the carnage and battlefield his house had become empty.

– – (()) – –

Daphne dodged under the sickly green of a killing curse as Tee took down the last Death Eater. This group of Death Eaters had managed to kill both parents, leaving a toddler orphaned, and worse, the Death Eaters had kept a sentry, and one of the damned idiots had managed to get away. The word would spread, and future Death Eater teams would be on the alert, looking for them.

Daphne used the floo to call for Aurors to care for the toddler, and she and her team were gone long before a team of Aurors responded to the cry for help.

– – (()) – –

Amelia Bones had been just about to head to the Ministry building when the calls had started coming in. She had feared that Voldemort would retaliate and it appeared she had been right. It had gotten so bad so quickly she hadn't even been able to take the five minutes needed to actually get to her office. Her house had therefore become a command post, with Amelia marking down the information about the attacks as one of her other guards, Amantha, along with Susan, and Susan's friend, Hannah Abbot, who had stayed the previous night, plotted out where the attacks where taking place.

But for every report of families calling for help, came a report of kids appearing, killing the attacking Death Eaters, and leaving, only to reappear at another house that was under attack shortly thereafter. There were also some reports that didn't make sense: dead Death Eaters being left in an empty house, there were numerous injured heading to St. Mungo's, but the numbers were not adding up - some of the people who had been attacked were simply disappearing. And still the reports kept coming.

"We have three more reports, Boss," Thomas said as he tried to filter out the messages coming in. "One family nearly wiped out, with only a toddler still alive but the Death Eaters all dead; one family reported two school aged children saved them, and left; one family and an off-duty Auror and his family were fighting a group of Death Eaters, when three kids portkeyed behind the attacking Death Eaters, used some kind of spell that destroyed the Death Eater's shields, killed them, and then just left with no words spoken."

Amelia was aware that if it had not been for these unknown kids popping in and helping out, this would have been an absolute disaster with likely hundreds killed. As it was, her Aurors and these unknown kids were holding their own.

– – (()) – –

Voldemort's anger was growing. He had to have been betrayed, but there should not have been a way for that to have happened. His Death Eaters were heading to their targets, but so far only a few were returning, and the cooling corpse in front of him had reported that kids, children, were being used to kill his Death Eaters. But how could have these misbegotten kids have known where to go?

Voldemort ordered one of his remaining teams to watch near the suspected headquarters for Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix with orders to kill any trying to seek refuge there.

**Red Haired Stubborn**

"Mom!" Ginny Weasley cried as the green from a killing curse ripped her mother's life away.

That left her and Ron facing the five remaining Death Eaters. Ron had gotten two lucky kills, and the now dead family matriarch had killed one. Because Ginny's own spells were just not strong enough to do any real damage, she had been working at distracting and hindering the Death Eaters.

"Gin, look there!" Ron pulled her attention away from their dead mother. "Someone else just arrived."

"Dad? Aurors?"

"It's not Dad, and they aren't in uniform, but the three of them just killed two of our attackers."

"Stupefy!" Ron didn't expect the stunner would do any damage, instead he used the spell to distract a Death Eater from the reinforcements that were about to attack her from her rear.

– – (()) – –

Then it was over. In the kitchen, if any had been watching right then, the two hands of the famous Weasley clock labeled Ginny and Ron moved from 'Mortal Danger' to 'At Home'.

– – (()) – –

"Are you okay, Weasley?"

"Greengrass? Ginny, don't let down your guard. These three are all Slytherins!"

"Ron, these three just saved our lives. There is no way we could have taken the remaining five on our own." Ginny wasn't as sure as she sounded, but she had seen these three kill their attackers, and Ginny was therefore willing to offer the enemy of her enemy some slack.

"Didn't you hear me, Ginny? They're Slytherins!"

"Listen, Weasley." Daphne Greengrass was the only one of the three that had said anything. "We don't have time to argue. We can take you someplace safe, or let you take yourselves, but according to our information, your house will be attacked again within the hour."

Ginny knew what Ron would answer, but he did surprise her with his begrudging expression of gratitude.

"We owe you thanks for what you three did here, Greengrass, but we will make our own way to someplace else."

"Fine, but remember, be gone within the hour." Greengrass was already turning to her companions. "Yours is not the only house under attack and we have spent all the time here we can." Then, in a moment, they were gone.

"Come on, Gin," Ron said, shaking Ginny from her stupor. "We need to be gone as well. Leave Mum, we need to get to Grimmauld Place and the Order of the Phoenix. That is where Dad will look first if we aren't here."

Ginny nodded her understanding, and stood next to her brother, silent tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

Ron pulled the emergency portkey down from its hiding place, and in seconds, they also were gone.

– – (()) – –

In the kitchen of the now deserted house, the clock's hands labeled Ron and Ginny moved from 'At Home' to 'Traveling', followed almost immediately by moving down to 'Mortal Danger', and with almost no pause to 'Dead'.

**Bones **

"Crucio!"

Susan Bones turned to see that one of the hated Death Eaters that had surprised them had slipped past a now convulsing Amantha and had dropped her aunt, leaving only Hannah, Thomas and herself as actively fighting against the four remaining Death Eaters.

A short time earlier, ten Death Eaters had somehow apparated into the next room, apparently through a hole in the wards around the house. They had made short work of the two guards in that room, and had engaged the two guards, Aunt Amelia, Hannah, and herself. In spite of being so outnumbered, the little group of defenders had given a good account of themselves with six of the attacking Death Eaters lying dead, or too injured to continue fighting. The injured didn't seem to be able to apparate or portkey out from this room so Susan guessed that only the next room's wards must have been compromised.

"Reducto!" Susan cast at her current opponent to buy herself some time, and then she repeated the spell at the man that was torturing her aunt. She then followed up with an "Incendio", which set fire to the attacking Death Eater's robes forcing the man to drop the Cruciatus so that he could extinguish the fire.

With her aunt shaking but freed and picking up her wand, Susan had to hope that it was enough as she turned back to the Death Eater she had originally been fighting. It turned out she had been away too long, as Thomas was dropped by an unknown spell. After that, the fight was over in just seconds, as two of the Death Eaters rushed the defender's position, and knocked her and Hannah to the ground, while her aunt again found herself suffering under the influence of the Cruciatus curse.

On the floor, Thomas was kicked cruelly by one of the conquering men as Susan found herself roughly grabbed, and her wand torn from her hands. She tried to struggle as her robes and underwear were torn away, leaving her body exposed to her captors, and then she was secured by an Incarcerous and dropped painfully to the ground.

**A/N: _Start of the rape scene_.**

Before Susan could even start to imagine what might happen next, her friend, Hannah, was also dropped beside her, unarmed and naked. But rather than ropes securing her, a Death Eater dropped heavily on top of Hannah with his own robes bunched up around his waist. A hard thrust later and Hannah began screaming in pain, leaving Susan sure of what fate had in store for her before she would find the release of death.

From her position on the floor, Susan could do little to help, and the man's beastly attack on her friend got worse as he growled out, "Shut up, you useless whore!", before striking Hannah across the face, knocking the girl unconscious before continuing to slake his lust upon her now limp body.

Beyond Hannah, Susan could see one Death Eater watching the torture of her Aunt Amelia, who was being held under a Cruciatus by another Death Eater. Susan felt sick when the remaining Death Eater slipped behind her aunt and reached around to rip her aunt's robe open, before digging his fingers into her aunt's now exposed breasts and twisting them quite cruelly, adding to the hurt already being inflicted by the pain curse.

**A/N: _End of the rape scene_.**

"Reducto! Confringo!" A new male voice exclaimed, blowing the Death Eater covering Hannah five feet to the side and away from where Susan was watching, followed by a sick crunch and a spray of blood.

"Confringo," a female's voice called out. The Death Eater torturing Susan's aunt with the Cruciatus lost his hold on the curse, and then lost his head as it exploded in a fine mist of red.

Susan continued to watch as the Death Eater that had been watching her aunt's suffering turned on at the first sound while casting a Protego shield and was starting the killing curse, "Avad..." when the first voice responded with a "Dimittere!" Susan felt rather than heard a 'pop' and the casting Death Eater dropped to his knees in shock and pain. A "Confringo!" later and he finished collapsing, his chest a bloody mess.

The last Death Eater held Susan's aunt in front of him as a shield as he tried to escape back to the room where he could escape. His path, however, brought him near the place where Susan lay. Susan, although tied up, could pull her knees to her chest, and when the remaining Death Eater came in range, she rolled onto her back and kicked out, her feet connecting with his knees. Susan felt a knee give under her assault and the Death Eater cried out in anger and pain as he tumbled to the floor.

The first voice repeated his "Reducto! Confringo!" combination, forcing the last Death Eater off of Susan's aunt, and then turning his chest into a bloody mush.

"Harry! We are going to need help."

Susan turned her head and saw the girl the entire school called Loony was casting healing spells, alternating between Thomas, the still convulsing Amantha, and Hannah.

"I've sent the request. Damn, why couldn't we have been even five minutes earlier?"

Susan turned the other way to see Harry Potter kneeling beside her aunt before turning to face Susan herself.

"Susan, were you badly hurt?"

At Susan's shake of her head, Harry freed her from the Incarcerous with a Finite Incantatem, and almost absently transfigured Susan's torn and ruined clothes into a bathrobe before turning back to Susan's aunt and began casting some healing spells of his own.

Now freed, Susan grabbed her wand from where it had been dropped when she was captured, and deciding that the people, her friends and family, that were hurt and injured were more important than her modesty, she joined Harry's companion (there was no way she could call this girl Loony ever again, but she didn't even know the girl's real name), and sitting next to Thomas, Susan began treating the man's head injuries.

"Potter?"

A voice Susan did not want to hear in her house said, and turning, Susan was struck dumb at the sight of Professor Snape, with c_lean hair_, taking in the carnage of the room.

"Hannah was being raped when we got here, and they had Madam Bones under the Cruciatus. Those two guards are still alive so far," Harry said to the last man Susan expected Potter to be conversing with in a normal voice.

"Miss Bones?"

"I was trussed up and waiting for the next Death Eater that wanted to enjoy taking a girl. I'm sore, bruised and still not sure how I'm still alive, but I'm not seriously hurt," Susan answered for herself, as Snape picked up the robe Harry had transfigured and dropped it over her shoulders, and then began casting his own spells on her aunt as Harry moved on to the convulsing Amantha.

"You are correct about Madam Bones; a Cruciatus, and some soft tissue bruising on her chest, but she will recover well. What about your patient, Miss Bones?" Snape asked, rising from Susan's shaking aunt to stand over Thomas.

"Thomas was hit by an unknown curse, and has been kicked in his head."

"Potter?"

"This guard is convulsing and nothing I can do seems to be stopping it."

"Lovegood?"

"Hannah is in a pretty bad way, but it does not appear to be life threatening. Some bastard has hit her, cracking her jaw and giving her a concussion, on top of the injuries from the rape."

"I will take your charge, Potter, as she seems to be most critical at this time; you bring the others as soon as you can."

"Right, sir," Harry responded, while standing and levitating the convulsing Amantha into Snape's arms. Snape then turned and left.

"We need to be gone as soon as we can be as well, Harry," Luna said. "Susan, can you hold Hannah?"

At Susan's nod, Harry motioned for Susan to stand, and he then levitated Hannah's still limp body up from the ground into Susan's arms.

"Go out of the backdoor, and we will bring down the wards so it is not as far to walk before we can portkey to help," Harry said as he helped Amelia into Luna's arms.

"Let's go, Susan," the girl Susan only knew as Lovegood prodded.

"The Death Eaters attacked us via the next room, so the wards there might be down already," Susan volunteered.

"Good idea, Susan, let me check," Harry said. "Luna, do you have Madam Bones?"

"Yes I think so, please hurry though, Harry, I won't be able to hold her long the way she is shaking."

Harry was back in just moments, smiling. "That was a good idea; Susan, we can portkey out from there."

Harry gathered Thomas, and helped Luna support Susan's aunt as the odd group passed into the next room, and from there they all portkeyed away.

**Code Blue**

Amelia Bones was in pain. She had suffered under the Cruciatus before, but never had it been held for so long. Even though the curse was no long active, her body was still feeling the pain, and she was shaking so badly that even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have really talked at that moment. But for all of the pain, Amelia felt she was actually quite lucky; she and Susan should be dead right now, yet they were both alive. Alive, and, in time, they would heal.

Amelia also now knew who some of her vigilantes were. Thinking about it, she should have guessed Harry Potter was one of them, but the Lovegood girl had been reported as dead at the beginning of the summer. The big surprise was that Harry had called Severus Snape in to help. By all of the reports Amelia had had from Susan and Dumbledore, Harry Potter working willingly with Severus Snape should not have been a valid combination.

As the group of rescuers and rescued attempted to make sense after a rough portkey landing, Amelia heard Harry talk to someone behind her. "One rape victim, one Cruciatus victim, and the guard in my arms is suffering from some unknown curse. Luna and I need to get to the next house, so can you take it from here, Mr. Granger?"

"Yes, we've got them. Go, Harry!"

Amelia was given over to some unknown woman dressed in muggle clothes, who helped her into a loose fitting robe and supported her to a nearby wall that had a low bed and a couple of chairs set against it.

"Did the bastards that did this rape you as well?" the lady asked Susan in a factual voice. "I don't want to pry, but the answer determines some of the treatment."

"No," replied Susan as she sat down on the chair that was now between Amelia's bed and the one Hannah was being placed on. "I expect it would have happened next, but Harry and Lovegood got to us in time. Hannah was the only one of us that was raped."

"Lovegood? You mean Luna?"

"I admit I didn't know her first name. We are in different houses and years at school."

"Damn! Her heart stopped!"

Amelia had almost been expecting that, but it hurt to hear it. The curse on Amantha had been on her too long. To stop the convulsions, the countercharm often also killed the victim.

Amelia and Susan turned and watched as the crowd around the nearby bed changed configurations. The woman that had been asking Susan the questions put down the clipboard she had been writing the answers on and walked quickly over to Amantha's bed. People weren't leaving the newly dead, instead they seemed to be changing what they were doing, and were working with a purpose.

"Can you cancel your spell, Severus?" Amelia knew the Grangers in passing from the time Albus had invaded their home, and Robyn Granger was giving Severus Snape orders, and he seemed to be taking them as he flicked his wand and responded. "Done, but I don't know why..."

Evan Granger showed up and positioning himself over Amantha, he started pushing firmly on her chest, releasing, and then pressing again while counting aloud, "one, two, three.." up to ten, while the woman that had left her clipboard knelt beside Amantha's head and manipulated Amantha's head somehow. After Evan reached ten, she took a deep breath and covered Amantha's mouth with her own and breathed into her.

Then Evan roughly ripped Amantha's robes off and down, and then clasping his hands oddly, he started repeating the odd ritual, again counting off his compressions.

Hermione Granger now showed up, and it was obvious to Amelia that she was a bit nervous about something, but she was attaching a metal plate to her wand.

"Wwwwhhhhaaatt?" was all Amelia was able to get out as Snape got out of the way from the knot of activity.

"I don't really know, Madam Bones. The Grangers called it CPR, and Hermione is going to try and re-start your guard's heart with a shock. Apparently this CPR is something muggles do so often that they train more than just their healers to do it. They must teach it to people after the age of eleven though since I had no idea you could do something like this."

"Actually, it depends on your school... my daughter was taught the basics before we learned about magic." A new man came up. "Do you know her?"

"She is, was, one of my Aunt's guards, her name is, was, …, _is_ Amantha," Susan answered.

"Then I won't try to continue asking what my wife was asking. Your attention will not be on me or your answers."

"Yyyyooouu... kkknoow, ttthe Grrrraannngggers?" Amelia managed to stutter out.

"No, we were attacked this morning, and my daughter was put under some kind of curse when three kids just a bit older than my daughter showed up, killed the bastards, and transported us all here. The Grangers gave my daughter some kind of potion and she is sleeping several beds over from here. As more people started showing up, those of us that were able started to help sort though the new arrivals."

"Clear!" The new voice re-riveted their attention to Amantha. Hermione had placed the metal plate now attached to her wand over Amantha's heart and was holding another plate by her side. Amelia couldn't hear the spell, but it was obvious when Hermione cast it as Amantha's body jerked up and fell back down again. Evan put his hand on Amantha's neck and everyone waited for a long two seconds...

"There is a pulse, her heart is beating again," Evan announced, even as Amelia could see Amantha take a breath on her own. "Good job, sweetie, you did it."

Severus turned to the man that had come up to them. "This is done all the time?"

"Yes, it is almost becoming commonplace. Doctors are performing open-heart surgery all the time now. They actually intentionally stop the heart before the operation, and the re-start it afterward. Now let me continue with these questions..."

– – (()) – –

Susan had just finished answering all of the questions, and Severus had finished with Thomas and Hannah, when Mrs. Granger came up to them. "What do we have, Mark?"

"Severe Cruciatus on this one," Mark answered pointing to Amelia. "Severus has removed the curse on this one," Mark pointed to Thomas, "and said he will be very sore, and grumpy, but as curses go, it is more like an overpowered stunner they use to put someone out of a fight when they want to _torture the victim more later_. The young lady in the next bed has a concussion, a cracked jaw, and has been raped. Severus has started the healing for the jaw and concussion."

"Was she conscious while she was raped?" Robyn asked, directing the question towards Susan and her aunt.

"She was during the start, yes ma'am," Susan answered. "Then the Death Eater told her to shut up and hit her. Hannah hasn't been awake since."

Robyn grimaced and made a note on the clipboard. "I'll tell Evan and Severus not to initially treat her, as it would be better if there weren't any men around her when she wakes up."

Robyn then turned to Amelia, "Let's see if we can't make you more comfortable. I know this is going to sound very strange to a witch or wizard, but I am going to need access to a vein, so I am going to need to open your robe..." Robyn stopped as she saw the mass of bruises on Amelia's chest. Then Robyn muttered a quiet "Damn those bastards!" almost too softly for Susan to hear, then the professional was back. "At least you won't hurt for much longer."

"What do you mean, she won't hurt?" Susan asked. "I'm just a student, but I know there isn't anything that can be done to ease the pain of a Cruciatus."

"Actually you used the wrong tense. There _wasn't_ anything that could help. Severus has come up with something that works quite well."

"Professor Snape?"

"Well, to my husband and I, he is Severus, but the kids mostly call him 'Potions Master', and I think he likes that title. Once this is all over Severus is planning on talking to your healers, but he is pretty much stuck with us for a while, for his own safety."

While they had been talking, Robyn had eased Amelia's robe off of one arm and was cleaning a spot near Amelia's elbow. Now she opened a bag and pulled out an oddly shaped contraption.

"My husband had the idea of creating a 'hypo-spray' since there was no way we were going to be able steal or buy enough syringes. Blaise was able to create a rune powered version that works nearly as well as Dr McCoy's was said to work and that a non-magical like me can operate."

"Hypo-spray?"

"You must be from a magical family to not know about Star Trek," Robyn said as she put the hypo-spray on Amelia's arm. There was a soft 'swoosh' and the liquid Robyn had poured into the device disappeared.

The difference to Aunt Amelia was almost instantaneous, her shaking started to calm and the pain lines on her face softened.

"Wwhat iss that stuff?"Amelia asked, "and whhyy doesn't St. Mungo's know about it?"

"I am not sure what Severus is going to call it, and he created the first batch last week," Robyn answered, and then she frowned. "Severus!" Robyn then called across a couple of beds.

Snape looked up from what he was doing and walked over to the group. "Robyn?"

"I gave Madam Bones one full dose, and while her shaking is down, she is still stuttering a bit, and the shakes haven't completely gone away."

Snape looked at Amelia sharply and then checked the clipboard before turning back to Amelia. "How long were you under the curse, Madam Bones?" he asked.

"I think it was between three to five minutes, sir," Susan answered. "Auntie had been hit by another Cruciatus for a much shorter time earlier in the fight."

"Robyn, I think another half dose then." Snape spoke over his shoulder before returning his attention to Amelia. "You are a very tough lady. Many would be in a coma by now."

"Right now, I think I am a very lucky lady," Amelia replied with only a hint of the stutter remaining. "I also have a lot of questions..."

"Questions which will not be answered right now," Robyn interrupted, with another of the hypo-sprays in her hands. "Thanks, Severus. Please pass the word to Evan that neither of you should be around the next bed when she wakes up. The bastard that knocked her out was raping her at the time, and I don't want to her to see a male over her when she wakes."

"I..." Amelia started only for Robyn to interrupt again. "You are a patient and there are several others that need our attention."

The 'swoosh' was repeated and Amelia visibly relaxed even as Severus left to speak to Evan.

"You are right, now is not a good time. But I do have questions." Amelia's words were slower and instead of stuttering, they had just the hint of a slur.

"With the amount of this liquid gold Severus cooked up in your bloodstream, you will be here long enough to have your questions answered." Robyn's demeanor softened as she spoke. "Since your healers don't know about this potion breakthrough, we can't release you until it is out of your blood. Anything they tried to do could hurt you badly."

"How can I help, Ma'am?" Susan tentatively asked. "Other than several bruises, I am unhurt."

"Do you know Hermione?" Robyn asked turning a tired smile towards Susan.

"Not well, Ma'am, but we do know each other in passing. We are in different houses at Hogwarts."

"Well...What is your name by the way?"

"Susan, Susan Bones, Ma'am."

"Susan, I am Mrs. Granger, Hermione's mother, and Hermione could use some more magical help. Why don't you find her and help with what spell casting you can."

**Firefight**

Amelia was left alone after that, and although she could feel the drug affecting her senses, she could concentrate on her surroundings if she worked at it. It did not take long for her to figure out some of what was going on around her. The large board on the wall to her right gave her most of her clues. She recognized the names of several of the houses as houses that had been attacked, and while she did not know the three kids in the second team, seeing the board change colors as the two teams popped in and out identified them.

What both amazed and concerned Amelia was the number of Death Eaters that were being marked as dead. The number was very high, and was growing, generally by increments of four. These young adults had killed over fifty people that day, and they weren't done. Then Amelia frowned.

"Mrs. Granger!" Amelia called over to the closest adult to her. Her tone must have caught Robyn's attention as she stopped what she was doing and came over at a rapid pace.

"Your team of three has been at that same house too long. Harry and Miss Lovegood have been out and back twice since the second team deployed to that location."

Robyn's face fell and Amelia could see the fear and concern for a second, before she gave Amelia an absent "Thanks", Robyn then headed to the place the teams used to return, glancing at the board and stopping by the shelves that held all of the portkeys.

When Harry and Luna returned, this time with no injured, Robyn put the portkey she had selected in their hands while giving them a quick explanation. Harry and Luna nodded, activated the portkey and were gone.

– – (()) – –

Harry could feel the exhaustion in his very bones. They were almost done, he knew it, but then Mrs. Granger had delivered a portkey into their hands saying that Tee, Blaise, and Daphne had been too long at the same place. The two striker teams had known something like this could happen, and had practiced both as a team of five, and as one team going in to help the other. Snape had made two portkeys to each house or building, with the second one at least one hundred feet away from the first and most often on a different side of the building for just this kind of a rescue attempt.

Fortunately so far, the Death Eaters had not left more than one guard at any of the places Harry and Luna had fought. Most often there hadn't been even a single guard, as the Death Eaters had been either engaged in fighting the homeowners or had been torturing whoever was left. Even so, as Harry landed, he didn't even try to stay upright; instead he rolled to his left even as he knew Luna was rolling to her right. It put a short distance between them, which would force any guarding Death Eaters to choose a target.

As he listened, Harry could hear cries of 'Avada Kedavra', 'Diffindo', and, surprisingly, 'Stupefy', coming from just around the corner of the building to his and Luna's right. That was not expected, the house that was to be attacked was right behind them.

Harry shared a concerned glance with Luna, and, using the crouching run Evan had been teaching them to make themselves a smaller target, the two of them ran towards the sounds of the fighting.

They came to a stop at the corner of the building when they heard someone cast a killing curse. But the sound had come from above them.

"They put someone up on the roof, Harry. Just like Mr. Granger said he would if he were planning this kind of a fight," Luna whispered, confirming Harry's thoughts. "I'm okay on a broomstick, but you are better, so you take out the sniper, and I'll provide some extra firepower here on the ground."

Harry nodded towards his girlfriend in agreement, and pulled out his shrunken broom. It was just seconds later and he was mounting the hovering broom he had purchased just a week ago: a newer model of the Cleansweep. It was not a seeker's broom, rather it was a keeper's broom, agile and stable, and good for short bursts of speed followed by coming to a quick stop and changing directions to cover a different hoop. It was therefore a broom that could dodge incoming spells, and yet was stable enough that Harry would be able to cast spells of his own while flying it.

"I'm ready, Love. See you soon," Harry said trying to crack a half smile.

"I'll count to a slow ten, Harry," Luna replied. "Then..."

Luna was interrupted when as a red stunner whipped by them, the corner of the building saving them from being hit.

"Looks like they found someone already fighting, Harry. We don't use stunners. Go!"

Harry nodded and lifted off, and while climbing he turned and flew around the corner away from the fight so he could come up behind the sniper.

The pitch of the roof meant that Harry had to fly up the peak of it, and finding a chimney, he flew over to it and used the brick structure as cover as he peeked over the top of the roof.

There were two Death Eaters crouched in a balcony overlooking what looked like a major battlefield. As Harry hovered a bit higher and took aim with his wand, he heard Luna's voice add to the cacophony of spell casting.

The Death Eater Harry was aiming at started and got "Where did she come fr..." out before Harry's Confringo destroyed the man's spine and pitched him over the railing.

The second Death Eater was good and quick as he shielded, and turned to bring his own wand to bear on Harry. Leaving his back uncovered, Harry dismissed the man's shield while ducking down below the peak of the roof even as he heard Tracey cast a 'Diffindo'. When Harry didn't see a spell come up after him he circled around and peeked round the side of the roof. His opponent was staring stupidly at his wand arm, which was lying on the floor of the balcony. Tracey's follow up spell cut the man into two unequal parts. Harry was flying on around the house to attack the remaining fighters when he heard Blaise scream "Duck!"


	12. Chapter 11: Day's End

**Chapter 11: Day's End**

**A/N:  
**I have to admit I totally forgot the previous chapter ended what what can be considered a cliffy! I know I hate cliffies as a reader, so, I'm sorry, and I'm posting this chapter early.

**One Down**

Susan was helping Mrs. Granger deal with a freshly awakened Hannah when a double chime was heard above the din.

"No!" whispered a suddenly pale Robyn Granger as she humped her shoulders and collapsed onto the bed. Susan, and even a recently hysterical Hannah, paused somewhat confused at the change in the woman.

Evan slipped around from where he had been bandaging a man's burned hands and gathered his wife in his arms while looking at the status board.

"She's not dead, Robyn, it's an orange color. Tracey is hurt but not dead."

Susan looked up at the status as all of the names except for Tracey's turned from red to yellow. Tracey's stayed a bright orange.

"The fighting is done there, love, we need to be ready to help Tracey. They will bring her here," Evan crooned to his wife. His words had the desired effect. Robyn began to straighten up and looked at the status board.

"We need to be there, Evan. Help me be there for them."

"We will be. Hermione is making her way over there as well. As is Severus." Evan continued to coax his wife even as he led her over towards the receiving point.

"What is going on?" Susan asked her aunt.

"It seems one of the members of the three person team has been hurt, likely badly, based on Mrs. Granger's reaction. I don't know them, Sue. Who were the three kids working opposite Harry and Miss Lovegood?"

"Tracey would be Tracey Davis; Auntie, she was working with Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini."

"Their parents were Death Eaters, yet they are working with Harry?" Amelia mused to herself even as she tried to stand and assist Susan with Hannah. It didn't work, her muscles refused to comply. "It seems the potion they used to help my shaking has a side effect. Susan, can you levitate me over to Hannah's bed?"

"Can I help?" broke in a new, very welcome voice.

"Thomas!" Susan exclaimed. "Professor Snape said you would have a major headache, and left a pain potion next to your bed."

"Thanks, Susan, I'm going to need it. Can you fill me in on what is going on?"

– – (()) – –

When the teams had finished with the remaining Death Eaters, Harry and Luna had grabbed Tracey and had portkeyed back to the command center without pausing to check on who had been helping Blaise and Daphne. He just knew there were three or four people with them, and they had been facing three full teams of Death Eaters.

Harry had been expecting a welcoming committee, but was grateful to see all of Luna's clan except Blaise and Daphne waiting for them. Harry put Tracey down on the low camp bed as Luna gave her report of what they knew about the injured girl, and that they believed that Tracey had been hit with the same kind of curse that the guard of Madam Bones, Amantha, had been hit with, causing Tracey to convulse uncontrollably.

Snape and Hermione were both casting spells almost before Harry had Tracey on the bed.

"It is the same curse, but they got her here much more quickly. The curse hasn't had a chance to dig in as deeply, and like Amantha, she should heal with no complications," Severus reported. "I can start removing it right away if you want."

"Daddy, are you ready for the CPR if needed?" Hermione asked before she summoned the metal plates she might need if she had to re-start Tracey's heart.

"Ready, sweetie."

"Do it, sir."

Snape began the long incantation required while Evan knelt down by Tracey, holding her as still as he could.

Two new pops told everyone that Blaise and Daphne had made it back. Blaise ran to his lover's side, his eyes big, and tears had started tracking down his cheeks. "Tee, Love!"

It was obvious when Snape finished the counterspell: Tracey relaxed into a heap. Snape's Finite Incantatem, which followed immediately afterwords, caused Tracey's body to convulse one more time, but she stilled after that. Two long seconds later and the unconscious girl took a breath on her own.

"She has a pulse," Evan reported to knot of people around the camp bed. "It is rapid right now, but I think it is slowing a bit. What do you recommend for follow-up treatment, Severus?"

"A full dose of the Serum of Life and a night of bed rest to start," Severus answered. "Mr. Zabini, she will be fine; you and the others have more work to do."

"Excuse me." Thomas made his shaky presence known. "There are only three more locations left on your board. If you can get me to a floo, I can get some Aurors to those locations."

Harry glanced over to Luna, who unfocused her eyes briefly, before smiling at the guard. "That would be most helpful." Luna turned to Snape. "Sir, please show him to the floo and unlock it for him."

Luna then spoke to the teams. "Daphne, Blaise, Harry, and I will strike our last target together, we should use the pepper ups before we leave."

Luna turned to Hermione for a last bit of instruction. "As soon as the Aurors have secured the last houses, you can start releasing the less injured to St Mungo's. We should be back within the hour."

– – (()) – –

Harry left to pick up the pepper up potions they had prepared for this last fight, walking beside Robyn as she headed to pick up a dose of the Serum of Life for Tracey. When Severus had finished the life saving liquid, Robyn had pulled three doses aside, declaring they were reserved for the teams and had hidden them somewhere.

"Harry?" Robyn spoke quietly as they walked quickly over to the supply cabinet. "I'm not sure I could take another of you being hurt. Do you have to do this last strike now?"

Harry looked over to the woman that had so defined the love and acceptance in Luna's clan. He swore there was more grey in her hair this afternoon since just this morning, and her face had a haunted look.

"Mum Granger, if we do this, we shorten the war by months. How can we not try to do the strike?"

Harry had never called Robyn 'Mum' before, the title had been coined by Daphne. She and Tracey used it all of the time now, even Blaise had started to use it from time to time, but Luna and Harry hadn't before now.

"Okay, but Harry, I mean it. I don't think I can take hearing the status board chime like that again. I think I died twice over when Tracey was hurt."

– – (()) – –

It was a tense group that watched the status board half an hour later. There had been a general exodus of the hurt after the Aurors had secured the last houses on the list. Only a small number of injured people remained, but everyone's attention remained on the status board. Tracey's name had turned green when she had consumed the Serum of Life. Severus had tried to take her upstairs to sleep, but she had refused and was watching the status board just as intently as the others. All four of the remaining names were red, and had been red for some time. It was their first attempt at actually trying to take down the Dark Lord. According to Luna, Tommy was going to be beyond furious, and would not be able to fight intelligently, and his supporters would be absent or to injured to help much. But an enraged wizard with the power of Voldemort would not be an easy kill.

"There! Look!" Tracey croaked.

Names began to change colors. Blaise, Daphne, Luna, and finally Harry's name changed from red to yellow.

A long five minutes later and the clan was reunited. All of the strikers were sporting cuts and were bleeding, but they also were sporting very large smiles.

"Harry did it!" Blaise exclaimed to Tracey just as soon as he saw her. "It took three dismissals to bring down the bastard's shields, but after that, Harry was able to get him."

**Reactions**

Amelia Bones felt like she was floating on air. She wasn't, of course, but whatever she had been given would likely garner Severus Snape an award at an international level. She should be convulsing so hard she couldn't even see straight. Instead she could see Thomas was softly speaking with an awakening Amantha, another miracle, and was bringing her up to date, while Susan was holding a crying Hannah. This meant that Amelia was the only one actually paying attention to her surroundings.

The odd group that was hosting her was demonstrating a very unique set of reactions. Mrs. Granger had assisted Tracey up and was herding Tracey and Blaise up a hidden staircase. Hermione Granger had pulled Daphne Greengrass aside and then the two of them had disappeared up the stairs as well.

Then Mr. Granger had pulled a now sniffling Luna Lovegood to a different set of stairs, leaving Severus Snape speaking with Harry Potter while herding him to the far side of the room to an area that was now empty of people and had some training dummies set up. It took only seconds before Harry Potter became obviously angry and the training dummies quickly became targets, and then kindling wood.

"Yes!"

Amelia turned to see a tired but smiling Robyn Granger looking at the upset Harry.

"What do you mean? Yes! It looks to me like Mr. Potter is about to try and kill Snape," Amelia said to the surprising muggle.

"We were a bit worried that might happen, which is why I came back down as soon as I could see Tracey and Blaise settled," Robyn answered before coming back over to look at one of the few remaining patients. "You are looking better, but I fully expected you to be sleeping."

"Then why are you so pleased to see Mr. Potter blasting away like that?"

"Because he is blasting at the training dummies Severus set up, not at Severus himself."

"I feel like I am missing something important. I may not be sleeping, but I am generally quicker on the uptake than this."

Robyn smiled while watching as Harry stopped destroying the targets and collapsed into a chair. "Those five killed sixty-five people today, one of their own was hurt badly, and I don't want to know how many close calls they all had today. They took on adult responsibilities, but they are not really adults yet. Those of us who were not going to be fighting have been planning how to help them through tonight."

Robyn sat on the corner of Amelia's bed before turning her attention fully to Amelia. "I will never ask my daughter what she and Daphne do tonight. But I expect they are going to share more than just a bed. If Tracey had not been hurt, she and Blaise wouldn't surface from their room until tomorrow at the earliest. Evan is going to act as a father to Luna and try to comfort her some. That leaves Harry, and Harry has his own devils. Harry isn't looking at the sixty-five killed Death Eaters. Nor is Harry looking at the over one hundred men, women, and children they saved today. Harry is looking at the twenty-six people that were not saved today. Twenty-six people that he wanted to save."

"Do you have the time to answer some of my questions now?" Amelia asked in a subdued tone. She hadn't thought about how young her vigilantes really were. They were the same age as Susan, and Amelia was very proud of Susan right now, but did not expect this kind of performance from her.

"Some questions, yes," Robyn answered. "But I don't promise to answer everything."

"I'll start with the big one then," Amelia said, thinking aloud. "How did you know who was going to be attacked, and when?"

"Luna."

Amelia wait for a full ten seconds waiting for more before growling, "I was hoping for a bit more information than that."

Robyn smiled and looked over to her left. Turning to follow Robyn's gaze, Amelia saw Mr. Granger and Luna coming back into the room. At Robyn's smile, Evan turned and headed across the room towards Harry and Severus.

Robyn, in the meantime stood and when Luna drew near, Robyn wrapped the girl in a loving embrace.

"Do you know how proud Evan and I are of you, our Luna?"

Luna looked at Robyn carefully, "I ordered all of those people killed. How can you be proud of me?"

"I can be proud, because I now consider you as one of my own, and you went out and did something no one else could or would do."

Amelia was quiet during the exchange and remained quiet after Luna allowed herself to be fully embraced again. But after Robyn released the blonde girl and helped her sit on the edge of Amelia's bed, Amelia felt like she could speak without destroying the mood.

"I know I am talking from a numbers viewpoint, but you and the others did an amazing thing today... But I am curious, how did you know who was going to be attacked when?"

Luna took a deep breath before turning to Amelia, although Luna did not meet her eyes. "I became a seer at the start of this summer, and I have been actively trying to find and follow the path that leads to fewer deaths." There was a several second pause. "Although I had no idea what killing all of those people would be like."

Amelia groaned quietly before reaching over to take the girl's hand.

"Luna, it is not good for someone as young as you are to try and use a seer's power, you could become lost."

Luna looked up in surprise, "You aren't going to scold me about killing those people?"

"You killed Death Eaters, and they were all attacking innocents, I am more worried about a seer too young for her abilities."

"I have Harry, we have come to love each other, and he agreed to anchor me." Luna raised her left hand to show off her ring. "Before you get upset about that, Harry asked me to marry him before he would do the anchoring ceremony."

"But before we get sidetracked, I need to talk to you, Madam Bones." Luna changed the subject. "Please do not run for Minister of Magic. If you do, you and Susan, will be dead within the week and this time there will be nothing I can do to prevent it, not without allowing thirty or forty people to die needlessly."

"I..." Amelia paused for a moment, "I really did want a chance to make the magical government better; I think I could do it.

"You will not get the chance. Even though we killed Tommy for the first time today, too many people agree that you would turn the Ministry around, and they will not let that happen. If you run, you will die, and will die before the election. I have searched several times, and there is no other path for you."

"...Wait, you killed 'Tommy' for the _first_ time? That did not make sense."

"You are missing a couple of important bits of information, Madam Bones," A slightly calmer Harry said as he, Evan and Severus joined the group. Harry pulled Luna up and gave her a kiss.

"Thank you for being concerned about my love."

"Shh, love, gently," Luna crooned to Harry. "I know it hurts, but you knew we couldn't save them all."

While Harry and Luna held each other fiercely, Thomas and Amantha arranged themselves to take part in the discussion, and while Susan continued to hold a now sleeping Hannah, she was following the conversation around her aunt's bed as well.

Harry released Luna, and sat himself on the chair Susan had been using earlier, and Luna then sat on his lap. "Tommy, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. We will never really know what happened in 1981 when Tom attacked and killed my parents, but what we do know is that he has created some insurance policies to prevent his death. Are you familiar with what a Horcrux is?"

"I am, and you say he created more than one of the abominations?"

"Um, I don't know what one is, boss," Thomas interjected.

"Simplifying it a bit, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named split his soul and stored it in an object other than his body. As long as the Horcrux exists, You-Know-Who can't be really killed."

"I think I speak for all of us then," Thomas said. "Ouch!"

**Sharing Plans**

"Ouch is very right, Thomas. How can we truly kill the Dark Lord with those things around?" Amelia asked. "Based on your actions and activities so far, I am sure you have some kind of plan."

"Luna, you explain better than I do," Harry said. "Will you do the honors?"

"I think you do just fine, Harry," Luna responded as she cuddled into her boyfriend's lap, but nevertheless she started explaining. "Our plans, at first, were simply to save as many people as possible, but once Tracey, Blaise and Daphne joined us here, we were able to make better, more complete plans." Luna nudged Harry with her elbow. "Your turn."

Harry faked an 'Oomph!' at the elbow in his stomach, and tried to glare at the adorable, cute, innocent-looking girl sitting on his lap, who was making wide puppy dog eyes at him, and after only a couple of seconds, he gave in to the inevitable and continued with the explanations. "Since we killed Tommy's body tonight, he is now less than a wizard, but more than a ghost. While he is in this state, he is not able to actually cast any spells himself, nor is he able to easily communicate. So in order to achieve his goals, he has to find himself a new body. He is capable of possessing a host, but such a host wouldn't have a magical core that is strong enough for Tommy, and his allies would no longer obey him if he tries to give them orders using someone else's face."

Amelia had to fight the smile that threatened to break out on her face as Harry stopped and turned his own lady-killer, smoldering, green eyes back on the girl sitting on his lap. The two kids might have had to rush their relationship, but there was no doubting that they loved each other.

Luna stared up at her man, and actually sighed, before shaking herself. "You are learning to do that too well for my own good, Harry." Another sigh. "Okay, I will continue, but if they are confused by all of this back and forth, it is your fault."

After warning Harry, Luna took the reins of the explanations back up. "From what I have seen, there are only three rituals that can be used for Tommy to regain a body of his own. One would require the willing sacrifice of an infant. But none of the Death Eaters have a child of the required age, and an adopted child will not work. The second ritual is the same one that he used to create the body that we killed earlier today. It requires, among other things, a good bit of Harry's blood, as well as a follower that is willing to cut off a piece of their flesh. As long as we don't let Tommy get a hold of Harry for the required blood, he can't use that ritual. The last ritual, which is also the one we want him to use, requires that he use one of his Horcruxes to regain his body on the night of a new moon. The Horcrux will be consumed by the ritual and Tommy will be relatively weak for two weeks after the ritual, and because of how the ritual works, he will be unable to create a replacement Horcrux for a lunar month."

At Luna's pause, Harry continued without needing to be prompted, "So if we can kill him faster than he can create new Horcruxes, we can finally kill him for good."

"Is there anything the DMLE can do to help?" Amelia asked, her amusement at the antics of the two lovebirds forgotten at the seriousness of their message. "I won't run for the Minister's office at your suggestion, but I should warn you, I will be asked to resign from my position shortly after whoever is elected takes office."

"Auntie?" queried Susan, showing that she was still following the conversation.

"Everyone will be sure that the only reason I am not running for Minister of Magic is because I was too hurt by the Cruciatus to stand before the Wizengamot to declare that I was running for the office on the required day as required by our laws. Whoever is elected will want someone that is not their competitor heading the DMLE, so I will only be able to help you directly for a fairly short time."

Luna smiled at the lady before confusing everyone. "You will be much happier elsewhere anyway, and you two will be very happy."

"Huh?"

"Er, Luna, you might need to explain that a bit more," Harry offered tentatively.

"No, I am happy with what I have said." The blond smiled up at Harry before turning back to the flummoxed lady. "There are two or three Horcruxes that you should be able to get for us. Obviously if they can be destroyed before they are needed by Tommy's ritual, we can shorten the war, which will mean fewer deaths."

"Where are they, and what kinds of protections do they have?" Thomas asked.

"There is one hidden somewhere in Hogwarts," Luna answered the Auror. "You will need to ask one of the house elves about how to get into the 'Come and Go Room', and you can also ask one of the house elves to help you find the Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. Other than it being well hidden, there is no special protection on that Horcrux, although you will need to go through Dumbledore to get into Hogwarts."

Luna turned to Amelia to give the next set of instructions. "There is another Horcrux hidden at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. It is a locket with a serpentine S engraved on it, and is rumored to have belonged to Salazar Slytherin. You will need to wring how to enter out of Dumbledore, just like you will probably need to contact Dumbledore before you can go looking for the Diadem. You will also need to ask the house elf where it is hidden. Again, there are no additional protections around the Locket."

"Is Dumbledore protecting these things?" Amelia asked in the clipped tones of someone who was fighting anger.

"I think the senile Headmaster believes Tommy has created more than one Horcrux, but he does not know where any might be. He is researching them with the intent to destroy them, but he is currently following a false lead." Luna tried to calm Amelia down. "The reason you need to get to Grimmauld Place through him is that he has placed the house under a Fidelius. While I do not like him very well, he is the current Headmaster of Hogwarts and must be approached carefully before he will grant an Auror team permission to search _his_ school."

After Amelia took a calming breath, Luna continued, "There is one more Horcrux we will want to try to get, but its location is protected, heavily protected. I believe the ring has been cursed somehow on top of the protections. If you can try to get the two I've already mentioned, I am hoping we will get another to help with the protections on this other Horcrux soon."

"Is that all of the cursed things?" Thomas asked.

"No, there are two more," Luna answered. "But one of them is currently buried deep in a Gringotts vault, and the other, well, Tommy is keeping a close eye on that one. I hope he uses the one in the vault for his first re-embodiment but that will depend on if we can get to the two easier ones first."

"Why in the world would Albus keep these things secret?" Amelia mused, more to herself than expecting an answer.

But Luna answered anyway. "The senile man shares nothing; that is one of the reasons my family disliked the man. He is also sure that Harry is a Horcrux."

Luna paused as she looked up at her man. "At the start of the summer, Harry was a Horcrux, but we've taken care of that. If you can round up those two, we can destroy them the same way we took care of the Horcrux in Harry."

**Grief**

Harry exited his bathroom and found a sniffling Luna already curled in his bed.

"Lady Love? Luna, what's wrong?" Harry asked as he slipped into bed, and cuddled against her.

"Harry, we didn't save them!" Luna wailed, and she turned into his shoulder and started crying hard.

Concerned, but knowing that Luna would be unable to answer in a coherent manner while she was crying so hard, Harry held his lady close and whispered endearments in her ear.

After an eternity, the maelstrom settled, and Luna's sobs no longer wracked the girl's thin frame. Still holding his love close to him, Harry asked, "Who didn't we save, Luna?"

"Gin...Ginny, and Ron, Harry!"

Stunned, Harry felt his own eyes tear up as his brain caught up to what Luna's words meant.

"What do you know, Luna?" Harry finally was able to ask.

"Tommy knew approximately where Grimmauld Place was, and when it was obvious that his forces were being caught, he sent two teams into the area to try and kill anyone trying to use the place as a refuge. Mrs. Weasley was killed before your snakes could get to the Burrow, but both Ron and Ginny were rescued. However, they wouldn't trust the Slytherins, and Daphne had to leave them there after warning them to be gone before a follow up force could arrive. Ron and Ginny's portkey landed them right in the middle of a firefight right outside of Grimmauld Place. They were cut down before they knew they were in trouble."

Harry didn't try to hold back his grief like he would have once. He and Luna cried together until they finally fell into an exhausted sleep while still holding each other tightly.

– – (()) – –

Charlie Weasley sighed as he collapsed onto the sofa. It had been a long day at the dragon reserve, and he had been feeling unsettled all day long. His feelings had just been cemented when his big brother Bill showed up with no prior warning saying much the same thing. It was the middle of the night now in England, but just as soon as they had built up the courage to face down their mother for calling at an uncivilized hour, they were going to make the floo call anyway.

Bill handed Charlie a glass of some liquor he had found while in Egypt and settled in the couch next to him.

"What, if anything, have you heard from Dad or the twins?" Bill asked while seating himself on the rocking chair across from Charlie's sofa. "Mum has been trying to get me to move back to England and work with or for Dumbledore."

"Mum starts nearly every letter I get from her with the same thing - I have been ignoring that. The twins are worried about something, but I think it has more to do with the rumors that Voldemort might have returned," Charlie answered. Being a bit closer in age to the twins, he related to the tricksters better than Bill did. "Dad is very worried about Ron and Ginny. They were in some kind of a fight, a real curse throwing fight, at the end of the school year. He has had to reign in Mum's scolds, and you know how much that just makes Mum madder."

"I hadn't heard about a fight, what do you..." Bill's comment was cut off as the fireplace filled with green fire, and the one brother neither of the older Weasleys knew really well called and asked for Charlie.

"Percy, what's wrong?"

"Thank Merlin I was able to get you, Charlie. The Burrow was attacked today, yesterday, I don't know when, but Mum, Ron and Ginny have all been killed. It ... it has hit Dad hard. Can you come home for a bit? Do you know how to get a hold of Bill? I tried to reach him as well, but can't find him."

"I'm here with Charlie, Percy," Bill spoke up only to be interrupted.

"Bill? Thank Merlin!"

Bill tried to soothe and reassure his younger brother. "I'm coming home, Percy. I'll clear it with the Goblins and should be there by lunchtime. What else can you tell us? Was the Burrow destroyed?"

Both Charlie and Bill exchanged concerned glances as the oldest of the Weasley offspring still in England, and the one that was so different from the rest, broke down and started crying.

"There was some damage to the house, but it is still standing. Mum died there. Ron and Ginny were trying to make it to a safe house they knew about, but You-Know-Who's forces also knew about it, and they just cut Ginny and Ron down." Percy was obviously devastated by his news, but he was able to get the information across.

"So the rumors are true, Percy? The Dark Lord is back?" Bill questioned Percy.

"Yes, the Dark Lord is back, Bill, but his forces didn't win much this day," Percy answered, while a scary transformation took place, the devastated Weasley changing into an angry man seeking vengeance right before their eyes. "His forces attacked more than twenty places today, but very few of his forces lived to tell the tale."

"Percy, we will be there as soon as we can be, and we can talk in detail then, but in the meantime, don't go and do anything stupid," Bill said earnestly, he was worried, as he had never seen this side of Percy.

His words seemed to get though to his younger brother as Percy shook his head and the face of vengeance was replaced by a face that was showing exhaustion.

"Right, Bill, thanks. Please get here as soon as you can."

– – (()) – –

Charlie left Bill talking on the Floo to the Goblins, and arranging for transportation home for the two of them. The reserve should have been quiet, but more and more of his fellow dragon handlers were joining what looked to be the start of an impromptu party. The lights were on at the foreman's house, and after a quick knock Charlie found himself seated in front of his boss; a boss that was wearing a very large smile for being up in the wee hours of the morning.

"Charlie, have you heard? It seems You-Know-Who lost a lot of Death Eaters in your homeland today. Over sixty of those murderers died today and..."

"Vince!"

"What?...Charlie, what's up, you look, well upset."

"I just got a call, Vince, the Death Eaters killed my mum, sister, and youngest brother. I'm going to need to home for a bit."

Vincent Chittock was a good foreman, he was also one of the few other people at the reserve that had come from England, and while he liked England's ways, he had also adopted a couple of customs from other places. As Charlie's words penetrated, Vince stopped smiling and turning his chair, he opened the cabinet behind his desk and pulled out a large black candle: a mourning candle.

"I'll get this set up and lit, you will want to go home, of course. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think I'll need anything, Vince. My brother Bill is here, and he can get us transport through the Gringotts' branches since he works for the Goblins as a curse breaker."

"Let us know what we can to do help, Charlie. You have plenty of accumulated leave that you haven't taken, and the Reserve has a pretty lenient policy regarding family emergencies, so just let us know when you can be back."

As Charlie made his way back to his flat he could hear the sounds of celebration check and quiet, as news of the lit mourning candle spread.

– – (()) – –

"… I know, Susan, but you haven't been training like your school mates have. I am very proud of how you behaved during the fight, helping Miss Granger where you could here, and helping Hannah last night." Amelia Bones was speaking softly to her niece Susan, the next morning when Hermione joined them to cast some diagnostic spells on Amelia.

"Madam Bones, I think you will be able to leave by noon. I'm sorry it is taking so long for the potion levels in your blood to drop, but we really don't want you to leave before it comes down a bit more."

"Miss Granger, I should be dead or comatose right now. I will be back to my office weeks earlier than otherwise, so I think I can put up with a bit more enforced rest."

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted as he trotted up to the group.

"Harry, what's wrong? You look like you didn't sleep well at all."

"Hermione, you need to join Luna for a moment, she is with Tracey, and Daphne is there with them."

"Okay, Harry. Excuse me Madam Bones," Hermione said, already walking quickly towards the staircase, where Evan stood, waiting for her.

"Is something wrong with Tracey, Harry?" Susan asked.

"No, Susan, there is something wrong, but has nothing to do with Tracey," Harry replied. "We wanted Hermione somewhere a little more private where we could give her some bad news."

"Who died, Harry?" Amelia asked, looking at Harry. He looked like he had aged years overnight, and the red eyes were very visible.

"Luna was seeing last night when she got some bad news," Harry started to answer obliquely. "Molly Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley were among the people that died yesterday. Ron, Hermione, and I had been very close at Hogwarts. Luna and I grieved all night. I am hoping Daphne will help Hermione grieve a bit."

"The Weasleys' house was listed on your board, and it didn't show those results," Amelia remarked.

"After the fight at the Burrow, Ron and Ginny portkeyed to a place that should have been a safe house for them but it wasn't. There were Death Eaters waiting to cut down anyone that tried to use that place as a refuge. According to Luna, Ron and Ginny were cut down before they even knew they were in trouble."

Harry paused, and everyone could hear a wail from the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Susan offered. "You three were very close, I know."

"Yeah, we were... I can take comfort that they were not tortured, and that I now have Luna to help me through this, but wherever I end up to finish my schooling, it will not be right without Ron trying to get me to stop studying and take time to play chess or talk Quidditch."

"Harry, I am also sorry." Hannah Abbott joined the conversation for the first time. "I am at least still alive, and I have you to thank for that."

Harry smiled a tight smile, and looked over towards his schoolmate. "It was a team effort, Hannah, but you are welcome. Our potions master is fetching your mother this morning; I think you will be released into her care shortly after she gets here... In fact I think that must be her now."

"Mum!"

Harry cast a privacy charm over the bed to allow Hannah and her mother a chance to catch up without any prying ears.

"Harry, what was that _Dimittere _spell you used?" Susan asked, trying to ignore the bed next to them. "I tried to explain it to Auntie, but she has never heard of such a spell."

"That was a dismissal, Susan," Harry answered, glad of something to talk about that didn't involve either Ron or Hannah. "Luna and I learned them to take care of the Horcrux that was hiding in my scar, but they really are quite useful when dealing with Death Eaters."

"Harry?"

"Yes, Madam Bones?"

"We are going to need some kind of way of keeping in touch. You, Luna, and the others have done a fine job of keeping You-Know-Who off balance, and you certainly have been cutting his forces to shreds, but I would really prefer you and Luna share this kind of thing in the future. You do not have to do this on your own. We can and will help you."

"It depends upon what Luna sees, Madam Bones," Harry answered. "She is the one that plans out our course of action based on the path with the least innocent death. If she had seen that contacting you would have helped, we would have contacted you.

However, if you send any message to Luna, and it must be to Luna not me, the owls will deliver to this location, and while we do not spend much time here, my owl will pick up any mail that is left every couple of days or so. I have sent messages to Neville Longbottom, and anything that needs to go to you he can send on."

**Moving On**

Robyn came up with a tray and three objects, and asked Harry to dispel the privacy charm around the Abbotts as she set up the tray.

"You are looking much better, Hannah," Robyn started.

"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," Hannah answered. "But Mum was wondering about my lack of treatment."

"That is what we are going to discuss, Hannah, Mrs. Abbott. We wanted to wait until you had had a chance to come to grips about what happened to you. As we see it, there are three different types of treatment available, but all three have issues, and I am not the person who can make these decisions for you.

First, we have an option for 'Healing', either by wand or potion; you end up mostly pain free and well nearly right away. But no matter what type of healing method we use, it becomes very likely that you may conceive, and become pregnant.

Secondly, we have an option for 'Pain Relief', again; there are multiple ways we can use to mask or hide the pain. However this method means you will not be able to be healed for a week or so, and it neither helps you become pregnant, nor prevents you from becoming pregnant.

Thirdly, we have a method that would prevent you from becoming pregnant, but it will not let us give you either healing or pain relief potions for at least three days, and we would prefer four."

"There is another option..." Mrs. Abbott started only to be interrupted by Robyn.

"There is not another option that I am willing to discuss. And I think that makes my views on the other option quite clear."

"But..." Mrs. Abbott's voice trailed off as she met Mrs. Granger's determined expression.

"Severus has spoken with me in some detail about which healing methods we can use, and while there are several methods under each category, they all suffer from the same issues. For example, we have a potion that would heal Hannah up quite quickly, but there is a ninety percent chance she will conceive. We have a different set of potions that take longer, but there is still a greater chance of conception. It is not as certain as with the first option, but still greater. The pain killers we know about and can use react badly with the spells or potions that prevent conception, so we can't combine those two options."

"Could you let me talk with my mum for a moment, Mrs. Granger?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, I think we can do that," Robyn replied before turning to Harry. "Harry, please re-cast that privacy spell you know."

- - (()) - -

The flood and wailing had subsided a bit, and a worried Evan peeked into the room where Daphne and his daughter were barricaded against the outside world. Evan would have preferred that Robyn be here, but Robyn was dealing with Hannah and her decision this morning. Based on all of the information they had from Luna earlier, the clan needed to move back to the Reserve this afternoon, which meant that the last of the injured needed to be released that morning.

The room was neither dark nor well lit; it was just like that short time between dusk and night. His daughter was still crying softly into Daphne's shoulder, which worried Evan. From all the talks and discussions he had had with Hermione, Ron's death should not have hit his daughter quite this hard. Yes, they were friends, but Hermione had seemed to be over any crush in that direction.

"Kitten?" Evan queried softly.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Kitten, it's me."

"Daddy, Ron and Ginny are dead."

"I know they are, Kitten."

"Why, Daddy? Why are they dead, and I'm alive?" Hermione asked. "Luna, Harry, and I all planned, we talked, we even argued, but why couldn't Ron accept help from us?"

"We were Slytherins, Hermione, and Ron was not going to accept help from a Slytherin," Daphne interjected quietly.

"You, Blaise, and Tee are good people," Hermione responded with just a touch of heat.

"We were Slytherins at school, Hermione. Before Harry and Luna saved us we were all Slytherins. We might not have been a part of Draco's clique, but we were not friendly towards you Gryffs either. And Ron Weasley had a known issue with all Slytherins."

"Do you remember the arguments we had while planning yesterday, Hermione?" Daphne continued. "We talked about maybe trying to use certain teams for special houses. Luna shot that down saying too many people would die if we tried to do that. Warning houses would mean that too many Death Eaters would escape, also leading to more death later."

"Kitten." Evan spoke again as he sat down beside the two girls that were curled up against each other. "In the end, Ron made a decision, and looking at it in hindsight shows that it was the wrong decision. But at the time Ron made it, he thought it was the best decision to make." Evan paused, because he wasn't sure how his daughter was going to take his next point. "You made a decision not too long ago as well that turned out to be the wrong decision, and it cost you a great deal of heartache. But you made the decision based on what you thought you knew. Your friend, Ron, made the best decision based on what he thought he knew. It turned out to be the wrong decision, and unfortunately, Ron will not be able to try to correct the results of that mistake."

While Evan was speaking, Hermione had been watching him. As he went on, her eyes began to overflow with tears again.

"Why did you bring that up, Sir?" Daphne queried.

"Because I don't want her to blame you, Blaise, and Tracey," Evan replied. "I don't want you to feel guilty either, Daphne. I know you both are saying you don't now, but I know how my daughter thinks, and I believe I have learned a bit about how you think, Daphne. If we don't nip the bud of doubt here, it will tear both of you apart."

Evan got up and headed back towards the door, but before he got there, he turned back to two young women on the bed who were both crying now.

"I don't really know if you two realize just how much you have begun to depend on each other. I don't think it is wrong, or bad, or evil. Nor do I think you are going to end up in a long term romantic relationship. But I am not going to sit by and do nothing and let you two ruin what can be a fulfilling friendship over a decision neither of you had any control over." Evan paused once more as he exited the room, but before closing the door, he spoke once more to two crying on the bed. "We are planning to move back to the Reserve this afternoon, and Mum Granger will be up as soon as the Abbotts have left."

As the door closed, Hermione and Daphne looked into each other's tear drenched eyes and spoke in chorus. "Forgive me?"

– – (()) – –

"Um, excuse me, sir," Thomas spoke to the hated ex-potions master of Hogwarts.

"Yes?" Severus answered without looking up from his work of transfiguring the house back into its original shape.

"Madam Bones wondered if you could speak with her before we all leave."

Severus looked over and saw that the Abbotts and Robyn were heading towards the floo, and Amelia, who was being supported by the Auror Amantha, and Susan, was heading his way.

"Certainly, if she wishes it," Severus snapped, as he assumed the armor of a snide and unfeeling teacher; the armor he went without more and more often in the Reserve.

Standing, Severus levitated a chair as he stalked towards the one person in government, other than Dumbledore, that he could say he respected.

"Thank you, Severus." Amelia nodded to him as she sat down.

"Severus?" he exclaimed, shocked at what the head of the DMLE had just called him. "Don't you mean to try and arrest me?"

"I owe the people you are sheltering with for the lives of myself, Susan, and Amantha here. Also while you have a scar on your left forearm, it's not a dark mark, and to top things off, I personally owe you for the potion that has me up and hobbling around in just a day instead of weeks, assuming I lived long enough to begin taking food.

This is an informal interview, Severus. I know for a fact that you used to have a dark mark tattooed on your arm. I am hoping you can tell me how it was removed. There are several people, mostly Susan's age that have escaped from, um, Tommy's clutches before carrying out their first kill. But for all that they haven't been marked, they seem to still be under the influence of Tom.

Secondly, this a formal thank you for your potion-making skills. I don't know where you got the idea, but I will be personally recommending you for an international award for your work on your Cruciatus relief potion."

Severus looked down somewhat ashamed when Amelia stopped talking, and spoke toward his knees instead of to her.

"The idea for my potion is based on a muggle, um, non-magical drug. When I first got here, my mark was removed, and the removal hurt, a lot. One of the Dr. Grangers injected me with something they called Demerol, which is a drug they used to ease the pain of oral surgery. They had used it on Miss Granger as well after she had been Crucio'd, which is why they knew it would work. But the non-magicals keep track of that kind of drug, and the Grangers told me they wouldn't be able to get more. But using some of their references, we were able to concoct a substitute.

As to how my mark was removed, the Lovegoods have an artifact which literally tore the mark from my arm, allowing Mr. Potter to cast his dismissal at it."

"What do you know about these dismissals?" Amelia asked at Severus' pause.

"I know they are old and mostly forgotten, instead of a new breakthrough. While researching Luna's anchoring ceremony, I checked the Prince family books, and found references to them there. There were no instructions on how to cast them, but for all that there seems to be no counter, they require a lot more power to cast than the more common spells do. This is why the strike teams use the more common spells more often than the dismissals."

"Thank you, Severus. Do you have any messages to anyone outside?" Amelia asked. "The Headmaster has been very worried about you."

"Just that I do not plan on ever teaching at a school again!" Severus exclaimed a bit forcefully. "On top of the dark mark eating at my soul, I was miserable and took it out on my students, and as a result, I did a very poor job of actually teaching. Whoever Hogwarts hires to be the potions instructor will not be replaced by me when Tom is truly dead."

"I will let him know," Amelia reassured the man. "Please let the others know I have between ten and fifteen people that would love to be free of whatever enchantment Tom has put on them. Then let me know if and how it may be accomplished.

Let's go home, people." Amelia turned to her listening escort. "Enough time has passed that I will be unable to stand before the Wizengamot now and proclaim that I am running for Minister of Magic. We need to bring in a senile old Headmaster and get permission to look for Horcruxes."

– – (()) – –

"Come on, Dad," Charlie said as he and Bill looked down on the wreck of a man that used to be the calm and friendly man that had raised them. "It is time to put down the whiskey and put you to bed."

Arthur Weasley was a broken man. The loss of his two youngest children had started the devastation, and the loss of his wife had finished it.

"Are you going to try and tell me it will be better in the morning?" Arthur slurred.

"No, Dad, it is going to be just as bad in the morning," Bill answered. "But Percy still needs you right now, and the twins, for all that they are trying to put on a brave front, need you as well. Charlie and I will be taking care of as much as we can, but we are going to need you to help the others."

It was likely the only thing that could have gotten through to their dad. His kids and his wife were his life, and while some were gone, the remaining ones would still need him. "Right then. Can you two help make up the couch? I won't be able to sleep in my bed for a good long while."

After seeing their father settled, Bill turned to Charlie as they cleaned up the kitchen and locked away the firewhiskey. "What's up Charlie? You came back from that afternoon trip you took even more depressed that Dad."

"The Lovegoods are gone as well, Bill."

"Um, pardon me? The Lovegoods? What do they have to do with this?"

"You were mostly out of the house when I kind of took their little Luna under my wing," Charlie explained. "I found her down by the pond, heartbroken and a right mess after one of the twin's pranks hit the wrong person. I cleaned her up a bit, and let her cry on my shoulder, and got her home. Ever since then, I make sure I get over to the Rook and let the poor little girl talk."

Charlie paused and heaved a huge sigh as he sat in a kitchen chair. "I nipped over there this afternoon, and the entire place was burned to the ground, and there were two new grave markers from the beginning of summer."

Bill sat beside his brother and pondered the unpleasant news. "You know, I was going to go over and pay my respects to Xenophilius as well. When I expressed my desire to become a curse breaker to him at some family dinner he and Luna had been invited to, he made the time to take me to see someplace he called the Lovegood Reserve. That was the first time I had ever seen a layered warding scheme. The little tricks and spells he showed me that afternoon have saved me several times."

"They were an odd family, but they had big hearts," Charlie agreed. "This stupid war has claimed them as well. As a change of subject, what did you find out from the Ministry this afternoon, Bill?"

"Not much I'm afraid. The head of the DMLE was attacked as well, and while it seems she survived, she was Crucio'd, and isn't up to meeting anyone just yet. And there were some really odd rumors flying around.

The only things I know for sure, is that over twenty places were attacked during the day, and over sixty Death Eaters died during the course of the day. After that things start sounding funny. One rumor was that that five or six kids, children really, killed all of the Death Eaters. Another rumor was that whole families were kidnapped. Yet another rumor had the missing people at a secret hospital where they were being treated by Severus Snape."

"Ha! I think you can discount that one," Charlie broke in.

"One would think so, but I heard it four different times from four different places, including Percy. All I know really is that eight Death Eaters attacked the Burrow here, which is where mum was killed, but so were all eight of the attacking Death Eaters. Then Ron and Ginny took a portkey to someplace that should've been a safe house. But there were Death Eaters there as well."

"I heard Dad saying that he would never listen to Dumbledore again," Charlie added what he knew. "It seems the _safe_ house was one he had set up."

"Tomorrow, why don't you try to get some more answers, and try and talk to the twins, Charlie," Bill suggested. "I'll spend some time on the floo trying to find out what the Goblins know.

After discussing their options for a few more minutes, the two elder Weasley offspring headed up the stairs. They weren't really on English time yet, and the morning was going to come very early.


	13. Chapter 12: Horcrux Gathering

**Chapter 12: Horcrux Gathering**

**A/N:**

This is a little shorter than most of my chapters, but since I updated mid-week as a surprise, I'm not too upset by that.

**Another Bad Day for Albus**

"Albus Dumbledore?"

Albus looked up from the work on his desk at the Ministry to see two Aurors enter his office. He had wanted to work from Hogwarts, where he could try and manipulate the results from the attack from two days ago and put his spin on news. But with Fudge out of office, and Bones incapacitated after being exposed to the Cruciatus, someone needed to show that the Ministry was dealing with the crisis. So here he was at the Ministry, where he could not pull the strings unnoticed.

"Yes? How may I help you?" Albus asked. He knew he was still walking on thin ice as far as the DMLE was concerned but, at least he was clean regarding Voldemort's big attack. With Severus missing, Albus had received no advance warning about the attacks.

"Sir, we have been sent to escort you to Madam Bone's office," the larger man, one of Amelia's guards, said. "Please come with us. I know this may not be the best time, but we will only have a limited amount of time before other considerations intrude on Madam Bones."

Albus weighed his options. He knew the drill - if he tried to refuse the politely worded request, the next step would involve an escort of four or five Aurors, and manacles. That would damage his reputation even more that it already had been.

"Please let me lock up these papers, and I will be right with you," Albus said.

At the Auror's nod, Albus secured the papers he had been studying about the attacks and generally cleaned up his desk. Then, before the Aurors could get too antsy, he stood and motioned for them to lead the way.

As Albus followed the lead Auror, he noticed they were not heading directly to Madam Bone's office, rather they headed to one of small conference rooms on the same floor.

Once in the room Albus found Madam Bones, along with Madam Longbottom and Neville Longbottom.

"Amelia, I was told you had been tortured and had been exposed to the Cruciatus," Albus said while he tried to figure out what was going on. "I thought that would be the only reason you would not run for Minister of Magic."

"Albus." Amelia nodded. "Thank you for coming so promptly. Please go ahead and sit. I would like to only explain what happened to me once, so I would like to defer that until after everyone has arrived."

As Albus hesitated, Amelia continued. "You are not in trouble _this time,_ Albus. But you are the Chief Warlock, and I can't question you officially unless there are at least three members of the Wizengamot present. While there will be no charges filed against you, neither will you be able to slip away this time either."

"You need to question the Chief Warlock," Augusta clarified, "but you don't expect there to be charges? Amelia, what is going on?"

"The questions don't have anything to do with his duties as Chief Warlock, and while I would love to ream Albus about the secrets he has been keeping, keeping secrets is not against the law. All of my information has him working towards a peaceful and law-abiding resolution. Now, we need to wait for a couple more people. Neville is not here as a member of the Wizengamot, but rather as the Head of the House of Black, which means we need another two Wizengamot members to be present before we can start the questions."

A confused Albus Dumbledore sat in one of the chairs, but before the silence could become oppressive, Amelia surprised him.

"Albus, I never thought I would say this, but I owe you an apology. You believed in Severus Snape when I didn't. I am currently very pleased you prevented me from locking that ex-Death Eater up."

"Ex-Death Eater?" Augusta sputtered.

"Severus? You've seen Severus?" a shocked Albus asked.

"Yes, ex-Death Eater, Augusta. His dark mark has been physically removed, he is actively working against Voldemort, and he is the reason I can even talk right now. And, yes, Albus, I have seen him. He asked me to tell you that he will not be returning to teach at Hogwarts, as he has found potions research much more satisfying."

Before anyone could process and question those surprising statements, the door to the conference room opened and Octavius Peppers, Narcissa Malfoy-Black, and Susan entered the room.

"Susan!" Neville exclaimed, the first thing he had said since Albus had entered the room. "You're okay!"

"Neville!" Susan answered with a smile as she crossed over to sit beside her aunt. "I'm okay, but it has been a very stressful couple of days. I'll tell you later."

"Ms. Black, Mr. Peppers, thank you for coming." Amelia took control of the conversation again. "You were all invited here so that I can officially question the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore.

According to the laws and rules in place, I cannot question any Chief Warlock without at least three other members of the Wizengamot present. At this time, however, I do not expect to charge the Chief Warlock with any wrongdoing."

"It looks like you already have three members, Madam Bones, but I do thank you for including me," Octavius said.

"Mr. Peppers, Mr. Longbottom is present as the Head of the House of Black. He is an alternate method of getting what I need from our Chief Warlock. So your presence is needed. I understand you will be running for the position of Minister. Good luck, sir."

"I was surprised when you did not attempt to run yourself, Madam."

"I was unable to attend that meeting of the Wizengamot due to my being tortured by the Cruciatus during the previous day. It is only due to a breakthrough by a potions master that I am able to sit behind this desk now. And because I expect to be asked several times, I will be telling all of you what happened to me, and you may tell anyone who asks you about anything I am about to say."

Marshaling her thoughts about the previous day, Amelia began. "On that day, the calls started coming in so quickly I ended up making my house a command post rather than heading for my office at the Ministry. That was a mistake, as my house was attacked."

Susan made a show of taking her aunt's hand in support, and Amelia paused in her speech just long enough to flash a slight smile at the slim hand now holding hers.

"The Death Eaters had weakened the wards around my home and were able to apparate directly into my house."

Again a pause but this time Amelia frowned at the memories she was reliving and in response, Susan's hand tightened around hers.

"Two of my guards were killed nearly instantly. Susan, Hannah Abbott, myself, and my two remaining guards, Thomas and Amantha, were able to give a good account of ourselves, but in the end we were overrun."

Narcissa gave an involuntary gasp at the thought of so many females in the hands of her late, unmourned husband's _friends_. Seeming to know what Narcissa was thinking, Amelia paused in her explanation a second time, then continued.

"Amantha and Thomas were cursed, Susan was stripped and bundled up for later, while Miss Abbott and I were tortured. I was tortured with the Cruciatus and was about to be raped when help came from an unexpected source."

"Help, Amelia? From where?" Albus asked quietly. Amelia shook her head at the Chief Warlock, and continued in a more business-like tone of voice.

"Once all of the remaining Death Eaters were killed, we were all portkeyed to another location, and I was given a new potion to help cure the shakes I was experiencing. It was a close thing for Amantha, but both she and Thomas were also cured of their curses."

"And Hannah?" Neville asked, only for Susan to frown at him, and whisper, "Later" in his direction.

Amelia again smiled at the slim hand that continued to hold hers. She was so proud of the way Susan had handled, and was currently handling, herself.

"I was told that this new potion does not react well with most of the common methods used to try and assist people after exposure to the Cruciatus, and so I could not be released until the potion level in my bloodstream had fallen below some level. It was late yesterday afternoon when I was released; too late to try and run for Minister. Added together with some news I received while I was being treated, I will likely be very busy for some time anyway."

"Who was your unexpected help, Amelia?" Octavius asked.

"There were five Hogwarts students, and as they are minors, I don't feel comfortable telling the world who they are."

Neville looked like he wanted to interject something, but contained himself after Susan again gave him a frown.

"Now I would like to get to the purpose of this meeting," Amelia announced, turning to face Albus. "Albus, were you ever going to tell anyone that Voldemort made Horcruxes?"

As the words penetrated, the blood fell from Albus' face leaving him pale and sickly looking. "Who... How... Who told you about the Horcruxes?"

"Does it matter who told me?" Amelia asked. "What matters to me is that I have been given the location for two of the devilish things, but I need your help to get to them. Are you going to help me destroy them, or are you going to fight me for some stupid reason?"

"Amelia, what are you talking about?" Octavius exclaimed.

"We now know why Voldemort didn't die like he should have," Amelia answered. "His soul has been split into multiple pieces, and each piece has been stored in a Horcrux. As long as even one of them still exists, the Dark Lord can be resurrected. My source says that Albus is hunting the Horcruxes so that he can destroy them himself, but that he is currently following a false lead. As I said, we can get to and _kill_ two of them, but I need Albus' help to get to them. If Albus is going to be stubborn, I will have to apply some additional leverage."

"I didn't want Voldemort to know that I knew about them. I was afraid he would start making more, or hide the ones he has already made." Albus came clean, something he truly hated to do. But Amelia had surprised him with enough information that he couldn't ignore her, and, with this many witnesses, he couldn't try to misdirect her words.

"While I would normally agree that making more would be a bad thing, we have a short window of opportunity. The last thing that happened on the day of the attack is that the unhurt students stormed the Dark Lord's hiding place and killed his current body," Amelia explained.

"Harry Potter? You've spoken to Harry Potter?" Albus was surprised again. Harry was high on his list of suspects when Amelia said five students had helped her out, but other than Granger, none of Harry's friends were missing.

"I've told you that I wouldn't be naming the minors, Albus," Amelia snapped. "Now, will you help the DMLE track down and destroy two of the Horcruxes?"

"Where could they be? I mean Hogwarts is a prime location, but I've searched there, and couldn't find anything," Albus mused aloud.

"Yes, Hogwarts is one of the locations, and Thomas has been given some instructions on where to start looking. The other location is a place you seem to have placed under a _Fidelius: _number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, is where I grew up!" Narcissa spoke up for the first time. "Why didn't I remember that? And why can't I remember where it is?"

"As I said, Albus has the house under a Fidelius charm. He did have the permission of the previous Head of the House of Black, Sirius Black, to place the Fidelius, but that makes it very hard to search the place."

"Who owns the house now?" Narcissa asked.

"It was not entailed as a part of the Black estate, and Sirius willed it to Harry Potter," Albus said. "I haven't asked Harry if I could continue to use it, but neither has he told me that I can't use it."

"Can I ask Mr. Potter if I could buy the house from him? I do have some fond memories from that place," Narcissa interjected.

"I can give you the same instructions Mr. Potter gave me at another time, Mrs. Malfoy," Amelia said. "Mr. Potter is being intentionally hard to find right now. Under no circumstance is Albus to be told how to contact him."

**Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place**

As Narcissa entered one of the places of her childhood, she found herself staring at the picture of her Aunt Walburga, a very unpleasant picture of Aunt Walburga, which was currently spouting off about blood traitors.

"Aunt! There are many things I have done with my life that I'm not proud of. But I...Do...Not consider myself a _Blood Traitor!_

"What? Aunt? Who are you, girl?"

"I am your niece, Narcissa Black. I was married to Lucius Malfoy in this very house."

"If you were married, why do you have the name Black again?" The painting stopped spouting vindictively, and looked more closely at the only girl that seemed to be holding herself properly.

"My husband was killed by a half-blooded fool, who labeled himself as a dark lord. That was after my husband and the dark idiot managed to kill my only son as well. The current Head of the House of Black has re-instated me to the house of my birth."

"Huh, the House of Black fallen to a half-blooded weakling."

"Actually, Aunt, while this house was inherited by Harry Potter, the Head of the House of Black, is a pure-blooded young man by the name of Neville Longbottom. The new head of our house is proving quite adept at the house politics he has been thrust into. Also, when I get the chance I am going to ask if I can buy this house from Harry Potter for myself."

"Oh!" Aunt Walburga was nonplussed for a moment. "It would be nice to be owned by a Black again, and you seem to be a proper Black."

"Do you have a house elf, Aunt Walburga?" Narcissa asked, taking advantage of her Aunt's confusion. "We could be out of your hair pretty quickly. Our information was that the house elf could help us find what we are all looking for."

"Kreacher! Kreacher, come help our niece."

The house elf that made his appearance at his mistress' call was an old and very wild looking elf.

"Mistress called? How can Kreacher help Mistress? Should Kreacher throw the intruders out?"

"Kreacher, behave! My niece is among the visitors. You will treat her with respect!"

"Yes, mistress, Kreacher will." Somehow the elf knew exactly who was the niece, and turned to Narcissa. "How can Kreacher help the younger mistress?"

"Kreacher, we are looking for a locket with the letter 'S' engraved on it. Do you know where it is?"

"Kreacher's master Regulus gave Kreacher the locket, with orders to destroy it. But Kreacher was unable to. Its magic was too strong for Kreacher. So Kreacher has hidden the locket to keep it safe from others."

Narcissa caught her breath. It appeared Madam Bone's information was correct, and the only way to the locket was through the house elf.

"Kreacher, if you will bring me this locket, I promise, as a member of the House of Black, that I will see it destroyed for you. That way you can keep your promise to your Master Regulus," Narcissa said.

Aunt Walburga's painting looked surprised at the elf's pronouncements, but she did nod and agree after a moment. "Kreacher, you may give my niece the locket. She is hoping to buy this house from the half-blood scum that currently owns the house, so you will need to impress her with your service."

"Kreacher will bring it to Mistress' Niece."

It was only half an hour later when Narcissa led the Aurors away from the old house, then she heard the Auror she had been introduced to as Shacklebolt mention that it was the quietest he had ever heard the 'blasted painting' be. Narcissa promised herself to mention that fact to Madam Bones. It seemed that Shacklebolt had ties to Dumbledore.

**Hogwarts and the Room of Requirement**

Thomas and Amantha had not known each other while at Hogwarts - they had graduated in different years, and had been sorted into different houses - but that didn't matter as the two of them walked up to the big front doors while being escorted by Deputy Headmistress McGonagall. The big castle had been a mostly happy home for both of them for seven years.

"Albus did not give the reason for an official visit by Aurors from the department of Magical Law Enforcement. Can you tell me what you think you will find?"

"The Headmaster is certain we won't find what we are looking for, Professor," Thomas replied. "But Madam Bones has been given a tip on the location of two very dark artifacts, with one of them being hidden at Hogwarts, and we have to investigate; just like we need to research any other creditable tip or lead. We have been told that the other tip Madam Bones received at the same time turned out to be correct, and the DMLE has recovered a similar artifact from a different location, and that tends to lend some credence to this tip.

As to exactly what it is, I am afraid I am not allowed to say. It is not that we don't trust you, but I am not able to discuss this with anyone. It is that sensitive of an investigation."

As they had been speaking, the three had made it up to the doors, and into the school proper and now stood in the entryway.

"Now that you are here, where do you need to search?" McGonagall asked.

"According to our lead we need to find the 'Come and Go' room. Could you please summon one of the Hogwarts' house elves?"

– – (()) – –

The 'Come and Go' room was a marvel that the Deputy Headmistress had not known about, but what surprised her even more was the way her two guests made use of the house elves even after being shown the strange room.

"Do you think you and some of the other elves could help us find the dark artifact we believe is in this room?" Thomas had asked, and within minutes there were at least twenty of the normally quiet and shy creatures aggressively hunting for anything that could hurt the students. A vanishing cabinet was pulled from the pile of junk and put aside to be destroyed, along with several other things: like an ancient looking sword; a couple of the Weasley twin's unexploded dung bombs; and a series of potions the elves thought were poison.

Another pile of things that should just be thrown out quickly grew so large that it was hard to tell what things had been added to the pile. A third pile of books of all kinds formed as well. Irma Pince was going to have a field day cataloging these new finds, or in some cases, books that hadn't been returned to the library when they should have.

"Eeep!"

The unusual sound brought all of the noise to an abrupt end. A few seconds later a nondescript elf, that McGonagall didn't personally know, approached the visiting Aurors while being escorted by every other elf that had been searching through the room. An ancient and priceless headpiece was floating in the air in front of the body of elves.

"Dessy finds the bad, bad, bad thing," the elf announced even as McGonagall tried to bite back an exclamation of disbelief. That had to be Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.

Thomas waved his wand over the priceless artifact and frowned. "Yes, that is what we were afraid we would find. I really hope we can get rid of the evil taint without destroying such a priceless thing."

**Elsewhere**

Amelia couldn't help it, she smirked, yes smirked, at Albus The-Man-With-Too-Many-Titles Dumbledore as both of the evil Horcruxes were brought in. Peppers was looking like he was thinking deeply, and Amelia knew she had scored some points with the man. She believed Peppers would be the next Minister, and every point she made in her favor might delay her being sacked.

– – (()) – –

For his part, Albus was shocked at how the Aurors had made such use of house elves at both locations. A short note from Minerva had explained both the room and the elf-led effort in that room. Also Narcissa had explained the locket, and the Black house elf that had kept it hidden.

– – (()) – –

Neville watched as Susan made her way back to her aunt. It seemed that Harry was neck deep into mischief again, but the important thing to Neville was that he had helped save Susan. Susan had mentioned that she would be sticking close to her aunt for the next bit, but that she wasn't abandoning him, just working for a long term solution to some major problems. Neville could work with that, he could try and be supportive and help Madam Bones as well.

– – (()) – –

Narcissa asked to speak privately to Amelia after the Headmaster left the room. Twenty minutes later Shacklebolt was being questioned, and twenty minutes after that saw Junior Auror Tonks being summoned for questioning was well.

**Back at the Reserve**

Evan Granger smiled a very large smile and gave a contented sigh. He and Robyn were back in their room in the Reserve. It felt good to be home, and even better to be Robyn's husband. She had been more than just a little pleased with the results of his little talk with Daphne and Hermione.

The clan had been just sitting down to dinner when Evan had looked up to see Daphne standing on one side of him and his daughter on the other. They had leaned down and had kissed his cheeks with Hermione saying, "Thank you, Daddy" and Daphne saying, "Thank you very much, Dad Granger", before both young women had assumed their normal seats.

Once they were alone Evan had needed to explain to Robyn how he had managed to be promoted to 'Dad Granger'. Once he had explained what he had said and why, Robyn had said thank you as well. One thanks had led to another, and then to yet another. The end result had Evan lying in bed with a very satisfied, naked, and exhausted wife wrapped around him and snoring lightly.

Yes, Evan was very happy to be both home, and married to Robyn.

– – (()) – –

Tracey stared with large eyes at the ring being offered to her.

"Tee, Love?...Tracey, please say yes."

Tracey transferred her gaze to the young man she had given her heart to a very long time ago. "Yes. Yes, Blaise, my love, I will marry you, but why are you asking now?"

"You scared me, Tee. I believe we will need to fight again, and there is no way I want to go to war again without you knowing exactly how I feel," her young lover answered. "We have been playing at being lovers and married for some time, but now, it is time to stop playing. I love you more than is proper for a pureblooded aristocrat, but I don't care. I want more than just your body at night, I want to let the world know that you, Tracey, are the woman that will bear my children, and that I am proud, honored, and humbled that you would agree to take my name."

Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini did not have wild passionate sex that night like they had most nights, instead they made love, and it was like the first time all over for them.

– – (()) – –

Daphne looked up when her friend and confidante Hermione Granger sat down across from her. Daphne had turned to Hermione in desperation that night after the fight, and Hermione had responded with a desperation of her own. The passion that had flared up between them had surprised them both, and when they had both fallen asleep, it had been with the two of them tangled in a lover's knot of limbs.

But the experience had left the two of them awkward and unsure with each other afterwards, then Dad Granger had broken through the awkwardness and Daphne had her friend back. A friend she could sleep with on occasion if either of them needed it, but first and foremost a friend. Daphne mentioned that she should really thank Dad Granger again in the morning when Hermione giggled; it seemed Mum Granger was doing a fine job of thanking Dad Granger tonight, and they might not see the two adults that meant so much to them until afternoon.

– – (()) – –

Severus Snape stared in shock at the young man in front of him - the firewhiskey he had been drinking must be causing him to see and hear things. Harry Potter could not have said that.

Severus had expected to be thrown out of the clan now that the major battles were done. Instead, Harry was asking him to stay. He would be able to continue his potions research, but he would also become a part of the brain trust, the planning group. And Harry was thanking him for all of the help he had been doing behind the scenes. Helping with the healing, helping with the werewolves, researching and then casting the anchoring. All things that Severus had just done because they needed to be done. But to be thanked? And by a Potter?

– – (()) – –

Harry made the poor man comfortable after he fainted, and put a headache potion in easy reach of the man for when he woke up. Based upon the number of empty bottles, the morning was not going to be pleasant for the potions master.

Then Harry headed upstairs to his own bed, hopefully to dream of the blonde beauty that had captured his heart.

– – (()) – –

Luna, once again padded down the hall to Harry's room. There were still some dark clouds on the horizon, but Amelia had recovered both of the Horcruxes, which was very good news. The wraithlike Voldemort had yet to make contact with any of his remaining inner-circle which was also good news as it would now be too late to prepare for the ritual by the next new moon.

But some of the remaining Death Eaters were planning to crash the funeral of Molly, Ron and Ginny, thinking, correctly, that a large number of people would be there. But the Death Eaters were also thinking, incorrectly, that no one would expect an attack there, and the mourners would be easy targets. Luna and her clan would be there, however, and they would be ready to fight. The problem was there was a good chance that one of the clan would be killed in this fight. There was nothing she could do to influence the choices that would protect her clan. The choices needed to be made by others.

Luna slipped into her fiancée's bedroom and then after removing her robe and slippers, into his bed. She was very worried, and having Harry close made her feel safe.


	14. Chapter 13: The Day of Dismissals

**Chapter 13: The Day of Dismissals**

**A/N:  
**Warning, fluff and stuff ahead

**A/N the second:**

I will be out of town next Monday. while I think I will have internet access, there is a chance the next update will be delayed by a day or so.

**Morning**

Harry Potter woke up after a very pleasant night of dreaming of Luna to find the real thing in his arms. Harry loved it when Luna decided to visit him at night. He even was willing to put up with the times she decided to wake him up in the middle of the night after she had had a very bad seeing or dream, because in the morning, he would wake with the beautiful minx in his arms.

"Luna, love?" Harry spoke quietly in case she was still asleep. But just like nearly every other time, his love was awake.

"Good morning, Harry," Luna responded, and she stretched and then started to settle more firmly against him. And, as she had done on previous occasions, she ran into his morning condition.

"Oops, Harry!"

But this time, while she moved a bit, she did not go running from the room. Rather Luna turned around to face him and give him the best good morning kiss, ever.

"Um, Luna, I should get up and..."

"I'll be waiting right here, Harry. I'm not going anywhere yet this morning."

Not one to question his good luck, Harry made it back to his bed in nearly record time. Morning cuddles with his love were things to be cherished.

Soon Luna's back was again pressed against his body while she seemed very interested in his hand. Luna was caressing the top of his right hand with her own right hand while being very quiet for her.

"What's wrong, Lady Love?" Harry asked.

"A couple of things are going very right, Harry," Luna answered in a whispered voice. "But our next fight is going to be very dangerous, and the safety of our clan is going to fall to the choices made by others."

Luna shivered against him and continued. "And I can't influence those choices without destroying all of us."

Luna shivered again. "That is why I invaded your bed last night, Harry. You are not just my anchor, you are also my safety net. I need you to hold me safe against the horrors of what might happen."

"Always, Luna, if I can, I will always hold you safe."

"I know, Harry. … Harry, have I told you how the anchoring ritual has affected me?"

"Not really, Milady, just that you have felt drawn to me somehow."

"It is more than you just holding me safe that I want this morning, Harry. Having you as my anchor is helping me in other ways."

Before Harry could comment, Luna's right hand wrapped around the top of his own right hand, and Luna guided his hand under the covers and then through an unbuttoned nightgown to rest on her left breast. The two of them had caressed each other through their clothes before, but this was the first time Luna had allowed Harry a chance to touch her this way. Even as Harry's mind tried to memorize the feeling, he felt rather than heard Luna sigh and surprisingly relax.

"Harry, please hold me and caress me. Touch me."

"Luna, are you sure? I promised you I would not rush or push you."

"You might have noticed that I guided your hand, Harry. This is something that is more than just a want. I need a bit more of you, and I plan on sharing a bit more of me. Severus did a very good job of modifying the ritual, but it was designed for a seer that was already in a long term physical relationship, so some of the belonging implied by the ritual is still there."

Harry's hand made a careful exploration of his lady's soft and enticing mounds. His hand slipped from one to the other, making sure neither one felt neglected. While slipping his fingertips from one to the other, Luna sighed again, but with a different timber - it was not a sigh of relaxation. The soft mounds developed not so soft points as her nipples reacted to Harry's touch.

Luna's next sigh was longer and louder before she turned her head and searched for his lips even as her free hand worked at opening more of the buttons of her own gown, giving Harry better access. Once all of the buttons on her own gown were undone, Luna's hand slipped down and around her own body to search of the band around Harry's waist. Before she could slip her hand under the band however, they needed to break for a bit of air. Luna was no longer sighing, instead she started giving little mewls.

Feeling a bit bolder, with the way Luna was responding and even encouraging him and remembering some of the things Evan had explained. Harry slipped his left arm under Luna and then his left hand up to her breasts. This allowed his right hand the freedom to caress her body in up and down motions inching down her tummy toward the golden fur-covered juncture of her thighs. Then Luna's hand completed her own journey, and as she gently grasped him, all rational thought deserted Harry.

– – (()) – –

The two teenagers were inexperienced and neither of them had really been prepared for the sensations they had felt. Both of them found their release very quickly, with Harry leaving a bit of a mess in the bed, which in turn did not encourage the two of them to settle in and cuddle in the afterglow of their shared experience. So with both of them feeling a bit self-conscious they got out of the thoroughly rumpled bed, straightened their garments, and then scourgified the bedding, before collapsing into a loveseat that Harry had put into his room for those nights Luna slipped into his room and woke him up.

"Harry?"

"Yes, my love?"

"If I had had any idea how good that would feel, I would have jumped you that first day in the Reserve."

"I would have helped you, Luna. That was mind blowing."

Luna cast a couple of warming charms and slipped out of her nightgown, leaving herself bare. Then she pulled at Harry's clothing, not stopping to explain until they were both skyclad and cuddled against each other again.

"Er, Luna?"

"I once promised that we would work on becoming more comfortable with each other while not wearing anything, Harry," Luna said as she answered the unasked question. "Then we both got sidetracked."

"You do know I am going to react, don't you?"

"I'm counting on it, Harry. I'm counting on it. I admit to becoming fascinated by your body, and its reactions. Harry, I have nothing on my body that grows and changes even half as much as you do."

Luna put her hand on him again. For the second time that morning Harry lost it.

**Breakfast**

The entire clan had gathered a bit later than normal for breakfast. In fact Hermione and Daphne ended up making the meal. No one commented on how late it was when Harry and Luna made their appearance, however, as everyone was fixated by the new ring gracing Tracey's left hand.

No one was surprised that Blaise had asked and Tracey had accepted. In fact both Evan and Robyn had told Hermione to expect the announcement, proving yet again that the two adult Grangers somehow managed to know everything that was going on within the clan.

As they finished their meal, Luna called the clan to order.

"Okay, we have a busy afternoon ahead of us. We know that Madam Bones and her Aurors managed to get both of the Horcruxes we asked them to locate, and that we need to dismiss those pieces of Tom's soul. We also know that Madam Bones wants us to help free some people that managed to get away from Tom before becoming full-fledged Death Eaters, but they are likely to have the same kinds of spells on them that Daphne, Tracey and Blaise had when they got here.

The archway can't be moved, so that means we are going to need to shepherd ten to fifteen people in and out of the Reserve, and somehow prevent them from knowing where they are. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Do we need to do all fifteen at the same time?" Severus asked. "It might be easier to hide our location from them if we only had to deal with three or four at a time."

"I think we should try and get them all done as soon as we can," Tracey said, adding her opinion. "We know we have more research to do for the next phase of our plans, and I don't want to be able to only spend half days doing research; as soon as we really got into the right mindset, it would be time to start putting everything away."

"I would also like to get it all done at once if possible," Luna weighed in. "Particularly as there are going to be other things that will be pulling us away from our research as well: both striker teams and possibly our Potions Master will be attending the Weasley funeral."

"I am sure the Weasleys would not really want me there," Severus interjected.

"As of right now, some of the remaining Death Eaters are planning to attack the funeral. Harry, Hermione, and I will be attending as friends of Ron and Ginny. The rest of us will be attending to help fight off the attack when it comes," Luna explained, although she nodded an agreement towards Severus.

"Can we tip off Madam Bones and get additional support?" Evan asked, knowing that he and Robyn would not be able to help during the attack.

"No, if we tip them off, the attack will be elsewhere while the Aurors get bored at the funeral. The Death Eaters have managed to compromise the DMLE security again. There is a chance that Madam Bones will ask for backup before the attack, and if she does it will be better for all of us, but we can't tell her beforehand."

"Back to this afternoon then," Robyn said. "What about putting together an assembly line? We could have Madam Bones gather all of the patients at the house we used for the attacks. It has a big tree that you have all used. Evan will blindfold them, and Blaise, Tracey, Daphne, Luna, and Hermione will transport them one at a time to the Reserve via the trees, and guide them to the archway. Harry can cast the needed dismissals, and Severus can be on hand for the simple healing they should need, while I can give each of them a half dose of the pain potion. Then they are escorted back to the starting point and the next patient brought over."

"You have only just gotten used to the trees, Hermione," Harry mentioned. "Do you think you will be up to transporting a stranger through them?"

"I think so, Harry."

"Actually, I like Robyn's idea with a change," Severus interrupted, wanting to put his point forward, having been invited by Harry to join the think tank, as Evan called it. He had, however, been a little dubious up to that point, as he had not been sure if Harry had been serious. "I think you should give them each the potion before we blindfold and transport them. The potion will affect most of them and they will be so unaware of what is going on that they will be hard pressed to explain what happened to them."

"That would make it very hard for the patients to walk through the archway, and don't forget they will need to be undressed to do that," Daphne added.

"Can they be floated through the archway by a Mobilicorpus?" Blaise asked.

"We would have to try that, but I don't think we could use a Mobilicorpus," Luna answered. "But we might be able to levitate a stretcher through the archway. They could be in just a robe when they leave the house after being blindfolded."

"Sir, do you think you could apparate all of the patients and their escort back and forth from the tree to the Reserve's entrance?" Harry asked, thinking about the time it would take to guide or levitate someone across the field. "I would like to pull Hermione into the archway room for the healing. Our Potions Master is the only one of us that can apparate, and we know we cannot portkey into the archway room, or even into the Reserve's entrance."

"So, do we all agree on using the house and the trees for the first part of the assembly line?" Robyn asked. When no one objected she wrote those steps down while offering her next idea.

– – (()) – –

"So, Evan and I will ready for the patients in small groups for transportation by Blaise and his team. Once our drugged and blindfolded patients have been transported in via the trees, Severus will apparate them to the entrance. Hopefully if we back the patients in an upright position through the archway with the front of their robes open, their robes will not be torn to shreds. Harry can then dismiss the spells while Hermione will do the needed healing to the patients; just enough to get them back to the starting house. They can go to St Mungo's later if they want. Then the steps will be reversed." Robyn finished reading out the finalized plan.

"I think that will work," Luna said. "Now Hermione, Daphne, and I will start creating the stretchers, and Tracey will work on creating the blindfolds. Mum and Dad Granger will gather the needed potions and hypo-sprays, Blaise will prepare the house, and Harry will notify Madam Bones of our plans. I expect she will want to have some of her people on the route, and I do not object to her being in the archway room. Thomas and Amantha have proven helpful in the past, and may be of some help along the way as well. Let's get to it; we have only a couple of hours."

"Luna," Blaise interjected before everyone could disperse. "Do you think we could contact Greg Goyle and give him a chance to have that blighting spell removed as well?"

Luna smiled at Blaise. "That is a very good idea. Harry, please see if you can contact Milly's Aunt Long while you are waiting for a reply from Madam Bones."

**Lunch**

"Long's Crystal," Harry said into the floo after sending Madam Bones the tentative plan.

"Is anyone there?"

"Potter, is that you?" Greg Goyle, already in a robe, was sitting near the floo's fireplace with Millicent Bulstrode sitting beside him.

"Yes, Goyle, it's Harry Potter," Harry answered, a bit bemused at the image of Greg in what was likely a child's robe that had been expanded to fit; the golden Unicorns dancing with some Hippogriffs were a sure give away. "I see I don't have to explain anything to you. Is it alright for me to come through and then transport you back here? We don't want to open this floo for two way transportation."

"If you will let me wait there for Greg to come back, Potter," Millicent answered. "I admit to being curious about how you seem to walk through trees."

Harry thought for a second before agreeing, and then grabbed another pinch of floo powder.

– – (()) – –

Albus sat with his guest and pondered the ramifications of the information he had just been given. Earlier in the day Nymphadora Tonks had interrupted his morning by entering his office and notifying Albus that she could no longer be a part of the Order of the Phoenix. She had then walked out before he could even respond.

Now Albus had a depressed Kingsley Shacklebolt in his office asking if the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts was still open.

"What has Madam Bones done, Kingsley?" Albus asked, sure that the two events were connected.

"Somehow the Widow Malfoy figured out that I was familiar with number twelve Grimmauld Place," Kingsley answered. "And she let Madam Bones know. Since you had it under the _Fidelius, _Madam Bones was pretty upset that I was working for someone else in the government other than her. I was questioned pretty thoroughly and then told to go home and think about who I wanted to work for. When I had a meeting with her just now, Madam Bones gave me one chance to resign from the Order. When I told her I thought I could work for both, as the oaths did not seem to be in conflict, I was fired."

Kingsley grimaced as he continued his tale of woe. "When I protested, Madam Bones pointed out that the Auror's oath prevents me from working for anyone else in the government, and that while I consider you to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts, you are also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. So, by taking orders from you, I was working for the Wizengamot and the ICW, and so in violation of my Auror's oath twice over. Now is the DADA position still open, and will you hire me?"

"Yes, yes, you may be the DADA instructor, Kingsley. In fact I suspect Minerva will be pleased that we will have a competent instructor for that position. Your explanation answers my questions about young Nymphadora. She came into my office earlier and resigned from the Order and then left without giving me a chance to find out why."

"Then she must have taken Madam Bone's offer of one chance to resign from the Order more seriously than I did," Kingsley commented, before getting up and preparing to leave. "Albus, you can expect that Madam Bones will want to talk to you about your illegal group. You will likely be asked to prove that you haven't used any of the Ministry's money to fund the Order."

"Thank you for the warning, Kingsley. I will owl Minerva that I hired you, and I suspect she will be in contact about setting up your classes and sorting out what books you will want the students to purchase." Albus escorted Kingsley to the door.

But as Kingsley walked down the hall, Albus' attention was grabbed by a group of students he knew by sight, talking animatedly as they walked towards the conference room Amelia had reserved for the afternoon.

"Greengrass, Davis, Zabini, … Granger? What is Granger doing with three Slytherins, along with … Lovegood!"

Luna Lovegood had been reported killed at the beginning of the summer, yet here she was, in the Ministry building and greeting Susan Bones outside the conference room. For that matter, Susan was greeting Granger with a great deal more warmth than Albus would have expected.

Albus changed his position so that he was better hidden, and decided he would watch this surprising congregation of students.

– – (()) – –

Narcissa had been delighted when Harry agreed to speak with her, and so Narcissa found herself accompanying Madam Bones and her guards to the place these children called the Reserve. The trip was a bit unnerving though, as she had no idea how she had arrived, or for that matter where she was.

On arriving, she found herself face-to-face with someone she knew from her ex-husband's past. "Severus? Severus, it's nice to see you again."

"Likewise," Severus said, taking Narcissa's hand and kissing it in a very pureblood tradition. "May I offer my sincere condolences on the passing of Draco?"

Harry decided to leave Narcissa and Severus to get re-acquainted, so he and Hermione led Amelia and her guards across the meadow. Meanwhile Tracey and Blaise, who had assisted with getting everyone there, headed back to start the assembly line.

Barely noticing the departures, Narcissa smiled at Severus. She had felt comforted by his gesture, as well as by the fact that, out of everyone she had come into contact with since her escape from Lucius' clutches, Severus shared a common history with her. "Thank you. It has been hard, but with Lucius out of the picture, not as difficult as it could have been."

"I would have offered the same condolences for your former husband, but I understand that they would not be welcome," Severus said.

Narcissa's face hardened. "They would not."

"I will not mention him again."

Narcissa visibly relaxed at Severus' promise. "I'm sorry, but any mention of him makes me angry." Her face then changed again, this time into a look of surprise as something happened that logically Narcissa knew should be impossible. A young girl, who had been introduced to Narcissa as Luna, _walked out of the tree_ holding a stretcher that had another student strapped to it.

"Please excuse me." Severus inclined his head, and then joined Luna, apparating both the young girl and the stretchered student away. A quiet pop of apparition could be heard behind her and Narcissa turned to see Severus had only transported the two to a dark cave like entrance. A few moments later he returned without any passengers.

"What?…How?"

"The Lovegood family had some druidic knowledge hidden in their family library, Cissa." Severus used a nickname given to her during happier times, and tried to answer her unformed questions. "While you were unaware of it, this is how you got here as well. The children have also mastered several other different ancient magics to help bring down the Dark Lord."

He had no chance to say more as yet another person walked out of the tree, again with a stretcher, and again Severus apparated them across the meadow.

When he returned, Narcissa hurriedly asked, "Severus, what is going on?"

Severus responded with a question of his own. "What do you know about what we hope to accomplish today?"

"Some nonsense about removing some spell of Voldemort's from some kids that had not been marked. I came because I really want to talk to Potter, but I wasn't paying too much attention to what the planners were saying," Narcissa replied.

"It isn't nonsense, Cissa," Severus said. "It seems that the dark mark is put on in two stages, and all of these kids had been infected with that first stage. Potter and Lovegood between them have the magical power and know-how to dismiss that first stage. But Lovegood is very protective of this place and, according to a journal I found in the library, it has been in the Lovegood family for centuries. So we are masking where we are and using untraceable methods to transport everyone."

"We, Severus?"

"Yes, Cissa, we. Lovegood and Potter between them have rescued me, and a couple of non-magical dentists have nearly redeemed me from the sour and disillusioned man I was. To my complete surprise, they have all accepted me into the odd clan Lovegood has formed."

Their conversation was interrupted when yet another couple of kids arrived out of the tree, giving Narcissa a chance to think about what she had been told.

"Severus, do you think they can check me for this spell?" Narcissa asked tentatively. "I was never marked, and did my best to stay out of the Dark Lord's presence, but..."

"I'll tell Lovegood; in fact there she is at the reserve's entrance. I'll go get her, and if anyone comes out of the tree, just apparate them to the entrance, and we will be done sooner."

– – (()) – –

Amelia stood bemused by several things. This archway of the Lovegoods would need to be studied if at all possible, but the archway was actually only a small part of her bemusement. The organization that had been put into this exercise was worthy of study as well. The dismissals Harry was casting at the spell being pulled from all of the almost-Death Eaters was something she wanted for her Aurors. Severus – it surprised Amelia that she could think of the ex-Death Eater by his first name – had said dismissals were an old magic, so Amelia would be speaking to the Department of Mysteries just as soon as she got back.

– – (()) – –

The conversation between Narcissa and Severus, while welcome, remained very broken for a short time. Narcissa found herself making the trip between the tree and the cave entrance several times, until there seemed to be a break. This came to an end when several people, all of the kids that had been guiding stretchers, and a couple of oddly dressed adults, walked out of the tree, but this time with no stretchers.

"That's all of them, Severus," the adult male said.

"Well, all of them except for Mrs. Malfoy," Luna interrupted. "It has proven to be a very successful afternoon. Let's walk to the Reserve, I'm tired of all the popping back and forth we have been doing, although it was a good idea, as it saved several minutes for each round trip."

The still unknown adult male spoke up again. "Mrs. Malfoy, please do not go around telling people about what you saw or will see today. We would rather not have the way we are transporting ourselves around getting out."

"I can promise that, sir," Narcissa said. "Not that it would matter. No one that is willing to actually listen to me would believe it anyway."

"And please call me Ms. Black, all of you," Narcissa continued to the group at large while wondering why the three other children with Luna seemed to be very wary of her. "I am known as the Widow Malfoy in the Wizengamot's chambers, but that is because I hold the proxy for the Malfoy votes. If I could I would shed the Malfoy name completely. My ex-husband might not have done the actual deed, but I feel his teaching Draco arrogance and disrespect towards any thought to be 'below' the Malfoy name is what actually killed Draco."

"Ms. Black, then," Luna chirped. "Did our Potions Master tell you what to expect when you go though the archway?"

"Severus tried to tell me a couple of times, but we were never able to spend enough time all at once to go through it all."

"I admit I didn't see you helping us the way you did, so thank you, Ms. Black. Let me try to explain. First and foremost, I'm afraid you will need to undress beforehand, the archway would destroy your robes if you have any spells on you..."

**Dinner**

Severus finished wrapping Narcissa's forearm with a clean bandage. Her suspicion had been well-founded, as Harry had needed to dismiss the same kind of soul magic from Narcissa as he had from all of the other patients. Since Narcissa still wanted to speak with Harry, she and Madam Bones had been invited to dinner there in the reserve. Severus was grateful for the chance to continue speaking with Narcissa, as it had been a long time since he had been able to have an adult conversation with a witch or wizard. And Narcissa had been neck deep in the Dark Lord's plans just like he had been...

The small talk Severus had been sharing with Narcissa was interrupted when Harry entered the room after knocking first.

"Potions Master, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry greeted them. "Luna said you wanted to talk to me, Madam."

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I came today just so I might have a chance to speak with you," Narcissa said. "However, I have been taken back into the Black family, and I would prefer you call me Ms. Black."

"Ms. Black then," Harry answered. "I'm not sure what I can help you with, Ms. Black, but we have a little time before dinner if you would like to tell me what's on your mind. If we need some privacy there is an alcove in the library..."

"I really don't mind if Severus or anyone else here, overhears our conversation. Madam Bones is aware of what I am about to ask as well," Narcissa said, and then taking a more formal stance, she asked her question. "Mr. Potter, I have been informed that you inherited number twelve Grimmauld Place from my cousin Sirius. Would you be willing to sell the place to me?"

When Harry didn't respond right away, Narcissa continued. "I have several fond memories from when I was growing up that are tied to that house."

"I thought Neville wrote that your funds had been reclaimed by the House of Black. Has Neville agreed to pay for the house for you?" Harry asked.

"The Head of the House of Black has agreed in principle, dependent upon what you want for the place. There were several houses that were reclaimed by the House of Black when I was likewise reclaimed. Since they were paid for by my bride price, Lord Black has said he would consider allowing a trade of some kind."

"Neville knows I don't really like the place at all," Harry said thoughtfully. "I will want some kind of house for Luna and myself. If you will get me a list of the houses you consider a fair trade, and then let Luna and I look them over, I will check them out."

"Thank you, Mister Potter. I understand I might need to be present to get you through the wards the goblins put up when the Death Eaters were ejected. So I will need some way to contact you."

"Potions Master, would you agree to escort Ms. Black to and from the Reserve?" Harry asked, a small grin lighting his face at Severus' look of astonishment.

"Yes, Potter, I will be very pleased to escort Narcissa around."

"Good, I will let Hedwig know that you will be getting some mail." Harry smiled as he left the room, leaving two somewhat dumbfounded adults behind.

"I will be asking Lovegood exactly what she is doing," Severus murmured to himself.

– – (()) – –

Dinner was a pleasant affair with Narcissa's official meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Granger going a lot more smoothly than Harry expected. The conversation was light, and the meal was well-prepared. The only serious conversation took place after the meal was over.

Amelia started the conversation. "Luna, you do know that the Weasleys are planning a joint funeral for Molly, Ron and Ginny."

"Yes, Madam Bones," Luna answered. "It is set for two days from now, at one o'clock in the afternoon at the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, and I are all planning to attend."

"Do you three need any protection from your Headmaster?" Amelia asked. "He has been told to avoid Harry, but he could try to latch on to either Miss Granger or you, Luna."

Luna's smile told the clan that she was happy that that question had been asked. "Yes please, Madam Bones. None of us believe that the senile old man would let an opportunity to bedevil the good we are doing here slip by him."

"I will be attending to support Arthur, so Thomas and Amantha will be there, and I will ask Junior Auror Tonks to join the party in order to run interference between you and the Headmaster."

"Madam Bones, are you aware that Tonks has ties to the Headmaster?" Harry asked.

"Had ties, Harry," Amelia answered. "She had ties. When I found out about them, I gave Tonks and one other Auror under my command the option of resigning from the Headmaster's group or from my group. Tonks resigned from the Headmaster's group. The other individual is now an ex-Auror, and, as I understand it, he will be teaching Defense at Hogwarts this year."

"It figures," Harry groused. "I am no longer going to Hogwarts, and they finally get a competent instructor."

"How do you plan on continuing your education, Harry?" Hermione asked, since she was here in the reserve as well, it was likely she would need to see about doing the same thing.

"Luna and I are talking about using that Lovegood house for some tutors, and homeschooling," Harry answered. "I understand there are some good teachers that can be hired, and Tee, Blaise, and Daphne can't go back to Hogwarts. As Slytherins, even if the war was over, there would be people out for their blood."


	15. Ch 14: Killing shouldn't be this easy

**Chapter**** 14: Killing shouldn't be this easy**

**Research**** and Acceptance**

Of all the things Severus had thought he would be asked to do, casting a spell often used to amuse babies and young children was not one of them. Yet here he was casting the follow-ball spell time after time after time.

The easy to cast spell was simpler than most spells, and once cast on a ball, the ball would try to follow the motions of the caster's wand.

A harried parent could buy themselves some time as a youngster tried to catch the ball or some other play thing. Yet Hermione was studying the spell he was casting for her with an even greater than normal intensity.

"Again, Sir, and please make the ball roll as far away as you can, and still retain control over it."

"The distance this spell is active depends on the intent of the caster, Miss Granger," Severus said. "I have been told that a version of this spell has been used in the Auror training programs."

That focused Hermione's attention, but not on the ball.

"Luna!" Hermione called across the room to her blonde general. "You need to hear this."

"Hermione?" Luna looked up from where she and Daphne were buried in books and parchment.

"I think you really do need to hear this," Hermione repeated. "Can you come over here for a moment?"

Luna nodded and started weaving her way through the obstacles that lay in heaps around the workroom. But it was not only Luna that joined Hermione and Severus; Hermione's call had attracted the attention of all of the different 'study' groups in the room, and the entire clan now surrounded the pair.

"Please repeat what you just told me about this follow-ball spell, Sir," Hermione said to the startled Potions Master, who didn't think anything he had said should have gotten this kind of a response.

"Miss Granger had just asked me to control the ball from as far away as I could," Severus explained. "I told her that this spell has an intent component, and that a version of this spell has been used by Auror training programs."

"Of course, when we were first planning out these tests, you were finishing the brewing of the Serum of Life," Luna said almost to herself. "It figures you would have the piece of information that we needed."

"Sir, I'm sure that the Aurors don't call it a follow-ball spell, do you know what name they use?" Luna asked Severus. "If Madam Bones can teach us, or better yet give us some books where the spell is explained, it would be most helpful."

"I don't know what they called it," Severus answered. "Mad-Eye was telling tales at one of the Order meetings last year, and mentioned that even simple spells can be used for multiple purposes. A follow-ball spell can be used to throw a ball or control a target dummy."

There was a short bit of quiet, then, "That's it!" Hermione crowed, as she headed towards a shelf with some of her favorite books. "We can use a modified Carpe Retractum."

Harry and Luna smiled as their friend settled into a well known study mode, and Severus finally had had enough.

"Could someone please tell me exactly what we are trying to do here?" Severus asked, with a bit of temper coloring his voice.

"The short answer is that we want to kill Voldemort, Sir," Tracey answered, and then winced as her ex-head of house gave her a withering glare.

Harry glanced at Luna, and with her nod, he turned to Severus and started to explain. "A slightly longer answer would be that we want to be able to kill Voldemort and possibly some Death Eaters from an extensive distance away. We are looking for some way to cause a spell to travel a long distance, and also be able to point the spell towards a possibly moving target."

Luna took over. "Hermione is in charge of getting the spell to the target. Daphne and I are working getting a spell to surround and propel a more powerful spell. Tracey and Blaise are working on modifying a spell that follows a beam of light. Mr. Granger and Harry are working on mounting a non-magical thing called a laser pointer to a stock that has had a rifle scope mounted to it."

"We hope we will be able to cast a blasting curse, and then cause it to travel to a target that has been illuminated by the pointer's light," Harry finished.

A stunned Severus Snape tried to take that in."However did you come up with the idea of a spell following a beam of light?" he finally was able to ask.

"Non-magicals use the principle in their guided bombs," Evan answered, his mind only half on his answer. "In theory a pilot can drop a bomb and the bomb will make corrections to its path so that it will hit whatever a beam of light it is being reflected off, even if that target is moving. A few of them were used in the Falklands War in 1982, and many of the NATO countries are putting a lot of research into making them better."

"Is that what you were talking about back when Luna announced she was a seer and needed help?" Severus exclaimed. "I was more focused on Harry and Luna's decision to ask for help, and didn't pay as much attention as I could have..." Severus noticed the entire room was staring at him. "What?"

Luna bounced over towards the now even more stunned man and gave him a huge hug. "You finally called Harry and me by our given names!" Luna exclaimed happily. "Sir, I am very happy. You have become very important to the clan, and now it looks like you have started to accept us as well."

"Hermione, put that down and please join us again!" Evan firmly interrupted Luna's gushing, and Severus was pleased that Evan had diverted attention away from his own embarrassment.

"Daddy!"

"Hermione!" Evan interrupted his daughter again, likely the only person in the room that could do so without a major argument from Hermione. "I asked you to come here, and I do have a reason. If this half-baked idea of mine doesn't pan out, you can go back and re-bury yourself. If my idea does pan out, you will need to be researching something else entirely."

"Sir?" Daphne whispered. She was not used to seeing the man that had accepted her into his daughter's life so easily, and who generally seemed to hand love and affection out to all, putting his foot down.

Robyn slid over to Daphne and offered a bit of motherly knowledge. "I don't know either, Daphne, but Evan knows that it takes that kind of force to pull Hermione from her books."

"I didn't know anything could pull Hermione from her books so soon," whispered Harry in awe.

**A New Plan**

Evan turned his attention back to Severus. "Please explain to me this follow-ball spell and what you mean when you say the ball will follow your wand movements."

"Evan? What?" Severus was now stunned yet again. He had long felt that Hermione got her single mindedness from her mother, as Robyn could concentrate on something while the rest of the room was in chaos, but Evan was showing the same focus that Hermione had been showing just a few minutes ago.

Waiting until Hermione rejoined the group, Severus re-cast the simple spell and demonstrated how the ball would go wherever he wanted it to.

Evan was getting excited. "Harry, please set up two of the target dummies on different corners of the far wall."

"What do you see, Dad Granger?" Luna asked while Harry left to do the man's bidding.

"There are other ways of getting non-magical weapons to their targets. The laser pointer has some issues in bad weather, and since our target is human, they could see the spot of light the laser is producing, warning them they were about to be attacked. Another method, used most often against tanks, is a wire guided missile. As the missile flies, someone guides the missile towards its target via a wire trailing behind the weapon."

"I don't see the connection between this missile thing and a child's play spell," Severus said.

"Ready!" Harry called from across the room.

"Great, thanks, Harry," Evan responded to Harry's call and then turned back to Severus. "I think you will see in just a moment. Tracey, can you please levitate the ball?"

"Yes, sir. Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Severus, use the follow-ball spell to make the ball fly towards the dummy on the left, and halfway there, change its directions and make it hit the dummy on the right."

"Daddy!" Hermione's exclamation drowned out the other sounds of understanding. "That's brilliant!"

The entire clan watched as Severus missed his target the first time, but the ball stopped and then hit the dummy from the back.

"It's harder than it looks," Severus said.

"That's what practice will help correct, Severus," Evan explained. "As I understand the spell theory Hermione has been trying to teach me, we still need to wrap this follow-ball, or something similar, around one of your more damaging curses, but we won't need a laser, which needs an external power source, and could be seen by the target."

"Luna?" Harry asked as he re-joined the group. His love was seeing again.

"I think we will want both types of spells," Luna pronounced. "The laser one may be useful as well, but I think the follow-ball will be used against Tommy."

Luna's eyes re-focused on her fiancé and love. "We need to re-organize our teams. Harry, Hermione, and our Potions Master will work exclusively on the follow-ball spell. If you can cast it as a part of a blasting curse, that would be wonderful. Daphne and I will continue our present research and, Tracey and Blaise will work on the light pointer with Mum Granger's help. Dad Granger will need to be able to go between the follow-ball and the laser teams as needed."

"Right." Robyn re-asserted her authority as de-facto mom. "Everyone get their own areas cleaned up, and after lunch we will start in our new groups. It's Luna and Harry's turn to make lunch, so you two are excused to the kitchen while the rest of us turn this disaster area back into a room."

"Aww, mom!" Severus fake whined, and then chuckled at Robyn's surprised reaction. It was good to be a part of a group.

**Last Minute Changes**

"Severus, do you have a minute?" Evan asked as he interrupted the last minute preparations the magical clan members were going over before attending the Weasleys' funeral.

"Certainly, Evan, what it is?" Severus replied, and then frowned when Evan pulled him into a separate work room.

"I'm worried, Severus. Luna isn't telling us something, and she is becoming more and more upset. I think she's worried about this funeral," Evan explained.

"So it isn't just me," Severus said thoughtfully. "I was afraid I was seeing shadows that didn't exist."

"It isn't just you, Severus. Robyn is having a hard time even allowing anyone from our clan to attend."

"But what can I do, Evan?" Severus asked.

"You can go with them, and you can carry these." Evan gave Severus one of the already loaded, Remington pistols, one preloaded spare cylinder for the Remington, and four doses of the Serum of Life Severus had prepared for that, seemingly, long ago day.

"Is that loaded with silver?"

"Yes, and if I wasn't trying to cover all of the possible bases I could, I would have given you my semi-auto pistol. It has a larger magazine."

"I didn't know a pistol had reading material," Severus said with some confusion.

"That means it can hold more bullets without re-loading," Evan said correcting Severus' misunderstanding. "I know you have said you aren't interested in attending the funeral, and feel you wouldn't be welcomed, but could you please go and try to watch over the kids?"

Severus paused, and reflecting on how concerned he was about Luna's nervousness, and remembering that Evan and Robyn had both gone out of their way to be friends, even when Severus had been completely obnoxious, there could be only one decision.

"Alright, Evan, I'll go, and try to stay out of sight."

"Thanks, Severus. I know you don't have the ability to travel through the trees, but I understand you do have a multiuse owl medallion now. I _borrowed_ this from Harry, since, as I understand it, it will help you avoid some notice," Evan exclaimed thankfully, even as he handed Severus Harry's invisibility cloak.

"I have been to the Burrow, and can apparate to a place nearby and if I leave now, I can be in place before anyone else gets there." Severus spoke as much to himself as to Evan.

"Listen, Severus," Evan said with some relief. "If you attend the funeral, and it ends up that you weren't needed, Robyn and I will arrange for an adult only dinner."

"Luna asked if I would attend, so you will owe me nothing. This is just a part of trying to keep your kids safe."

"Actually, Severus, that's our kids," Evan said, putting just how much Severus had changed in the last month in focus. "Good luck, Severus; you carry Robyn's and mine hopes with you."

– – (()) – –

"Boss?"

"What is it, Thomas?" Amelia asked as she and her small contingent of Aurors got ready to head out.

"I just made one of those decisions that will either make or break my career, Boss, and I thought you should know."

That stopped Amelia in her tracks, and she turned to the man she had learned to trust. "Explain, Thomas."

"It doesn't feel right, boss, and it has been too quiet since that last big attack. I asked several of my buddies to be on standby. I just checked the ready room, and it looks like Amantha and you did the same thing since there were four or five full teams milling about. Rather than dismiss some of them, I ordered my buddies to the funeral site. They should all be there and hidden before we get there."

"Are you that worried, Thomas?" Amantha asked, echoing Amelia's thoughts.

"Yes, I am that worried. As I said, it doesn't feel right to me."

"One of the things that makes a really good Auror is his or her sense of danger," Amelia said. "And when all three of us are feeling that something is not quite right...well I approve of your actions."

Amelia then turned to Amantha. "Are you just as concerned?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I have some of my friends attending the funeral as general mourners, and I have also asked several others to be on standby."

"That does it then. Thomas, go back and tell the teams in the ready room that I want them to all have their brooms on hand, and that I want multiple portkeys to the Burrow set up now. Ensure that some of the portkeys are set for far enough away that they can still get there if any wards go up around the Burrow."

"Tonks." Amelia turned to the younger Auror. "Your assignment has just changed a bit. During the actual funeral, I want you to get inside the Burrow, and I want you to be ready to floo a request for help at the first sign of trouble. Go get a bit of floo powder so you know you have enough. I'm going to contact some of the team leads, pulling them into the ready room as well. We will be treating this as a full operation, and if nothing comes of it, it will have been a good exercise in being prepared."

Several seconds slipped by before Amelia snapped, "Well move!"

"Yes, Boss."

"Yes, Boss."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

Amelia turned to the remaining young woman. "Amantha, do you want to tell me what's going on while we are alone?"

"Er, not really Ma'am."

"How about I insist then?"

"Yes, Ma'am, it's like this..."

– – (()) – –

Albus frowned at Charlie Weasley, and for an unpleasant change, the young man was not wilting and doing as Albus had suggested.

"I don't care what you think, Headmaster. We will not be collecting the wands of the mourners. If you think I am going to allow myself to be disarmed at this time you are sadly mistaken," Charlie declared, with a bit of passion in his voice.

"I agree with my brother, Headmaster," Bill interjected as he joined the pair just inside the Burrow's entrance. "I have instructed Percy to throw off of the property the people you have set up to collect the wands. If I had my way, I would be throwing you off the property right now for even suggesting such a piss poor idea in the first place. I still might throw you out for putting your plan in place _before_ coming and talking to us. Now get outside and if you have any more really stupid ideas, don't even think of sharing them with us!"

"I assure you..." Albus started, only to be interrupted by Bill.

"No! I assure you, you damned idiot! You-Do-Not-Have-The-Authority-To-Make-That-Decision-Here!" Bill paused for a breath as the twins came up but stopped and stared as their eldest brothers stared down the great Albus Dumbledore.

SLAP!

"And the next time you try to read my mind I will kill you!" Bill ranted while a surprised Albus rubbed his newly abused cheek. "It does not matter if you are the Headmaster, or Chief Warlock, or whatever position you might hold. Trying to read the mind of a Goblin employed curse breaker is punishable by treaty with those Goblins! Punishable by death!"

Bill turned to the twins. "Fred, George if you would please kick this _prick_ off of the property, he just wore out his welcome. I'll tell Dad that I don't care what kind of relationship the family has had with this prick in the past, he's just broken every single rule of courtesy I know! As heir, I am declaring him not welcome here!"

"He tried to read your mind?" Arthur asked while coming into the room from the outside door.

"Yes, Father, this prick did!"

"Language, William!" Arthur scolded before turning to face Albus, even while speaking to the dumbfounded twins. "Fred, George, you may escort Dumbledore off the property, but do not literally kick him off as your brother requested."

Arthur's voice lowered to just over a whisper, but the steel in his voice as he spoke to Albus was more effective than any of Molly's famous howlers. "Albus, I am not Molly, and I will not allow you to take liberties with my remaining family. I therefore recommend you get out of my sight, and I will try to forget that this ever happened. And just so you absolutely understand, I agree with Charlie's instructions to Percy. Your people that were collecting wands are no longer welcome here either."

Arthur finished by talking to the twins. "Take him away, boys."

"Thanks, Dad," Charlie said as they watched the twins escort the Headmaster out. However, the twins, being the twins, were goose stepping Albus along, which would be sure to attract the attention of the gathering guests. "You know that is the first time in forever that the twins did not say something!"

**Funeral for how many?**

"Bloody Hell!"

Amelia turned in shock from Octavius Peppers towards Thomas, only to see him staring across the crowd towards a goodly sized tree. "Thomas?"

"Owls, Boss. Three owls just landed in that tree."

"Damn!"

"Madam Bones! What the Blue Blazes is going on?" Octavius asked, torn between being shocked and angry at the language.

"That's it then. Amantha, you and Tonks escort Octavius, and any other Wizengamot members you find, to the house and get them out of here, and summon every single Auror on standby. Thomas, you signal the team you sent over to deploy, and spread the word to Amantha's friends to move out from the crowd and try to form a picket line to protect the civilians."

"This way, sir." Amantha firmly led Octavius towards the house. "We believe the owls are a sign that Death Eaters are about to attack."

"What do owls have to do with Death Eaters?" Amelia heard Octavius' voice fade as he allowed himself to be guided away.

"Amelia?"

Amelia turned to find Arthur and Bill watching Amantha and Tonks herd people towards the house.

"Arthur, I think we are about to be attacked," Amelia answered the poor man's unspoken question. "Please do not actually start the funeral, and get everyone to move towards the house."

Bill had been standing beside his father, and, looking around, spotted a knot of his brothers and made his way quickly towards them.

"Percy, get that little group of guests there to re-join the main crowd, and do it now. Fred, George, please tell me you have some kind of prank you can set off, and set it off now!"

The younger Weasley brothers had been shocked at how Bill was speaking, but ever since Bill and Charlie had returned to England, they had learned not to question their older brothers when they spoke with that tone of voice. Percy nodded shortly even as he turned towards the small group of people that had separated from the larger group of guests.

The twins, however, stayed where they were.

"Bill, we can't."

"We promised Dad."

"That we would not even prepare."

"Or plan or even think."

"About planning a prank for today."

It had taken Bill a goodly amount of time to get used to the twin's method of speaking again, but he had to admit, Dad would have likely given those kinds of orders for today. "Okay, help Percy, Madam Bones thinks we are about to be attacked. The more people we have inside the house, the better. But please _Do-Not_ do something that causes a panic."

"Bill?" Charlie asked as he came up.

"Bones got some kind of signal and expects the Burrow is about to be attacked," Bill responded while continuing to look around. Having heard Bones say there were some Aurors in the crowd, he could see two sets of movement in the crowd. The general migration towards the house was proceeding very well, except there was also a counter current he could see. Several people were moving towards the outer edges and they were paying a lot of attention to the yard. Bill turned back to the group that he had sent Percy to retrieve.

"Well, I'll be..." Bill said with some amazement.

"What?"

"The twins are actually working with Percy!"

"I know you haven't had a chance to really speak with the twins in depth, Bill," Charlie said. "The family's deaths hit them hard, and, before we could get to England, Percy swallowed his pride and took the time to help them deal with it. Since you and I have been trying to get things set up and dealing with Dad, Percy was left with dealing with Fred and George. I don't think they have ever been closer. Percy even said last night that he was able to tell them apart for the first time ever."

"Charlie, I just felt a set of wards go up, it's show time," Bill interrupted.

"Right, I'll watch Dad's back. He's going to be wanting blood."

"I'll gather the Percy and the twins, and join you. This fight, the Weasleys will stand together."

– – (()) – –

"Boss, a ward just went up," Thomas stated. "The floo is closed; we got about one team in and most of the Wizengamot members out. Amantha and Tonks are on their way out."

"Thanks, Thomas, I am sure you don't want me in the front row, but I'm getting closer to front. You take the left side..."

"Sorry, Boss, my job is to stick with you. The left side will need to do without me. Miss Susan would have my ears if I let you get hurt."

"Susan is not your boss."

"No, she isn't, but if I had to tell her you were hurt and I wasn't there...Well I don't want that to happen. Lead on, Boss, but know I have your back."

"Death Eaters! LOTS of Death Eaters!"...

– – (()) – –

Amelia had just finished taken down one of the attackers when she caught a glimpse of the hated green of the killing curse heading her way with no time to dodge. Suddenly she felt a hand grab her, pulling her out of the spell's path, except the spell didn't reach where she had been standing.

A block of some kind of material zoomed in from behind them intercepting the green light, and while the block was destroyed by the curse, the curse was rendered harmless as well.

Amelia stepped back from the position she had taken and gave a short "Thanks!" to Thomas before turning to face rear. On doing so, she found Neville Longbottom sending another of those blocks towards a flash of green, while Susan and Hannah both seemed to be busy conjuring the blocks.

Over towards the right, the remaining members of the Weasley clan were giving a good account of themselves, with the twins conjuring some different blocks but still giving their family protection from the green killers. Further to the right, another team of three girls of Susan's age were protecting that area from the killing curse. To the left, a group of three slightly older girls were deployed as well, and to the far left, three boys, two of Susan's age and one at least couple of years older, were doing the same. At the door of the Burrow, a contingent of Hogwarts professors where sending long range attacks towards the Death Eater lines while also supporting their students by blocking any of the killing curses that looked to get through the first line of defense.

"What? Thomas, what is going on?"

"I don't know, Boss, I was watching after you, but I haven't heard a lot of chatter from the team leads about losses, so they may have started helping out nearly as soon as we were engaged. With as many Death Eaters that attacked, I'm very glad they helped out."

"Werewolves! Four werewolves incoming," came a cry from the right. Amelia turned back to that direction and could see four super fast shapes charging towards Harry's group of fighters, which included Harry himself, Luna, Hermione, Tracey, Daphne and Blaise. The six were divided into three groups of two: Daphne and Hermione were the closest to Amelia; Harry and Luna were holding the center; which left Tracey and Blaise.

As Amelia, with Thomas still watching her back, started to move towards the line of teens, she saw one of the attacking wizards hit by a spell that should have stopped him in his tracks, but it hardly slowed him down. "Damn, they are werewolves!" she muttered.

A witch and wizard moved to intercept the charging creatures, and, based on how quickly they were moving, they had to be werewolves as well. Amelia thought she recognized Lupin as the wizard, but the defending witch/werewolf was unknown to her. The defending werewolves were able to hold up three, but that left one still running faster than should be possible, and it was headed directly towards Blaise. Since werewolves were spell resistant to most spells, the attacking creature was able to ignore the spells that had started peppering his hide, all the while closing in on Blaise.

KaBoom!

The werewolf was close enough to leap, but the leap was arrested as the attacker turned awkwardly as if he had been struck mid-flight. But the half-man still struck Blaise with the two falling back in a heap on to some rocks.

"Snape!" Thomas exclaimed, pointing towards a man just inside the picket line pointing a long metal object towards the remaining attacking werewolves.

KaBoom!

Another werewolf fell.

"That's done it," Thomas sighed. "The remaining Death Eaters have started to surrender."

**Butcher's Bill **

"Thomas, get an initial report from the teams!"

"Yes, Boss."

With the last of the Death Eaters surrendering, clean-up was starting. After sending Thomas to get the initial reports, Amelia continued, more calmly, towards Harry's group, where Hermione was casting feverishly.

"Amantha?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"You see if you can find out how many civilians were hurt or killed, and get someone to break down the wards so we can get the injured to St Mungo's."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Tonks?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Please see to it that the two werewolves that helped defend us are not arrested."

"Right, Remus and Beth."

"Wait, Tonks, you know them?"

"Remus has long been a part of Dumbledore's Order, and he started bringing Beth to the meetings not long before you had me quit that group."

"Interesting... Okay, Tonks, go ahead and keep them from being arrested, and I would like to talk to them a bit before they leave."

"Yes, Boss."

"Amelia?"

Amelia turned to Arthur. He looked exhausted, and he had a couple cuts on his face, but his expression was not pleasant. "Yes, Arthur?"

"Did you know about this attack before today?"

"No, Arthur, I didn't. We just had a hunch, a bad feeling about how quiet it had been. Nothing concrete enough to pass along."

"You had this many Aurors standing by because of a hunch?" Octavius Peppers asked as he came up from the house.

"You were told to floo out! What are you doing still here?"

"I decided to watch. I very nearly regretted my decision when I saw the number of attacking Death Eaters, but your Aurors responded very quickly."

"Yes, we had that many on a hunch, or more truthfully, three hunches. When three of us all felt something was off, I authorized enough for a full operation. If nothing had happened, it would have been a good exercise. As it turned out, it was more than just an exercise, and we had help from a couple of unexpected sources."

"Now, why would owls cause you to think an attack was imminent?" Octavius asked.

– – (()) – –

"What's wrong?" Severus asked as he came up to Luna's clan members, all gathered around a fallen Blaise.

"Blaise hit his head against a rock when he was knocked down," Tracey said in a whispered voice, tears starting to make tracks down her cheeks.

"Granger, will this help?" Severus asked as he held out the vials of life saving potion.

Hermione looked up and smiled as she took two of the vials. "Yes, that will help a lot. Thank you, Sir."

"Sir, you came!" gushed an excited Luna.

"You did ask me to, Lovegood," Severus said even as the blonde clamped her arms around him.

"I couldn't push, Sir, as it would have caused more deaths. Thank you for coming."

"Luna, I would thank Dad Granger. He asked me to follow you today, and handed me the pistols, and the Serum of Life as well when I agreed."

"I will thank him, Sir, but his asking doesn't bring you here..."

"Now, why would owls cause you to think an attack was imminent?" asked a man with Madam Bones as the two of them came up to the group.

Luna released Severus and turned to Madam Bones. "You prepared for an attack when you saw owls?" Luna asked in surprise.

"When we worked at rounding up Death Eaters from the reclaimed Black houses, non-Aurors helped out, and a couple of sharp-eyed team leads saw non-postal owls either perched as if they were waiting, or flying away, and a couple of Aurors who were sure they were about to die thought they heard an owl's call before they were saved. While I couldn't be sure about what was going on, the spells used matched the ones you all favor. So when Thomas saw three non-postal owls show up and wait, we couldn't ignore the possibility that you were here for an attack." Amelia answered both questions before starting to ask some of her own.

"Severus, what kind of muggle weapon is that? How can it be charged with silver?"

"It is a replica of a muggle pistol used in the 1860's, Madam Bones," Severus said. "Mr. Granger said there are contests using these kinds of old weapons, which is why he could get one, and it seems you can cast your own bullets. Evan cast them in silver."

"I need to get Blaise back to the Reserve," Hermione interrupted. "Potions Master, can you transport Blaise and myself?"

Knowing that Mr. Granger had been harping on the kids not displaying their ability to travel through the trees, Severus nodded and gathered Blaise in his arms and made sure Hermione was securely holding on to him.

"I will be right back for Tracey, and Daphne," Severus said, knowing he really only needed to side-along apparate to some big trees just out of sight.

– – (()) – –

"Amelia!"

"Not now Octavius," Amelia said absently as she turned to Harry and Luna. "Potter, Lovegood, I cannot allow this to continue! Did you know about this attack when I saw you last?"

"It was not for sure, Madam Bones, and I couldn't tell you then as someone in your department would have leaked the information if you were prepared early. I don't know if it would be leaked intentionally or otherwise, but the attack would have been elsewhere with no Aurors to support the attacked."

"I will work on the leaks, but you cannot continue acting on your own. The DMLE must be informed in the future or you will be facing time in prison. I am assigning Amantha to be liaison between the DMLE and your group. Is that clear?"

Luna's eyes unfocused for a second, then she gave a slight smile. "Yes, Madam Bones, we will work with you through Amantha. She is a good choice."

"Boss?" Thomas interrupted as he trotted up.

"Yes, Thomas, what is the butcher's bill?"

"We have been luckier than we should have been, Boss. Forty Death Eaters were a part of the attack. We have ten prisoners, the rest escaped, were killed or died of their injuries before we could treat them. Only four Aurors died, three of them from the killing curse, and all of those early in the fight. Once the kids started protecting us from the killing curse, not a single Auror died that way. There are also eight Aurors injured badly enough to require a stay at St Mungo's, but all are expected to recover."

"Thanks, Thomas. Please get Susan over here. I want to ask about who all the kids were."

"Right away, Boss," Thomas said as he headed off, passing Amantha as he headed towards the Burrow.

"Amantha, do you know the extent of the civilian injuries yet?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Amantha answered. "Five dead, from the start of the attack, and ten injured. Two of the injured are seriously hurt. The wards will be down in a couple of minutes and two of the teams have taken the responsibility to let St Mungo's know and to start the transporting."

"Thank you, Amantha, I am reassigning you to be liaison between the DMLE and Luna's clan. Make sure you have them set up a method of transporting you to their Reserve."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am."

"Madam Bones!"

"Stop right there, Octavius!" Amelia interrupted. "I will attend to you in a moment, but right now I have other concerns..." What Amelia would have said next was lost as a much loved body crashed into her.

"Auntie!" Susan cried while holding on to Amelia with a death grip.

"Susan! Susan, let me go," Amelia scolded gently while disengaging her niece from herself. Amelia turned to Thomas as he came back up with Neville and Hannah in tow.

"Thomas, Amantha is being reassigned to be the DMLE liaison to Luna's group, and I want you to arrange it so you can contact her if we need to."

"Right, Boss. I'll get with her as soon as she has finished talking with them."

"Neville, Hannah." Amelia nodded to Susan's best friend and boyfriend before turning to Susan. "Susan, who came up with the idea to support the Aurors and block the killing curse? Also, who were the other teams of young people that were helping you?"

"It was my idea, Madam Bones," Neville answered before Susan could. "We are taught you can't block a killing curse, but in the fight at the Department of Mysteries early in June, Harry avoided being killed by putting something solid between himself and the curse. When we saw how many Death Eaters were attacking, Susan pretty much demanded that we help in some way. Blocking the killing curse seemed to be a way to help without getting in the way of the people trained to actually fight."

"It was a very good idea, Neville. Your idea, and your application of it, likely saved a lot of lives today. Now who were the other teams?"

"Fred and George were doing that for us," Arthur mentioned. "I vaguely recall them saying it was grand idea."

"Lavender Brown came to the funeral with Parvati and Padma Patil. Lavender and Parvati were in Gryffindor the same year as Ron." Susan started listing the teams while counting them off on her fingers. "Parvati and Lavender were the first ones to just do the conjuring while Padma concentrated on putting the objects in the way of the curses. Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Oliver Wood formed one of the other groups. Seamus and Dean shared a dorm with Ron. Oliver was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and I suspect he came with Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. The three girls were a part of the Quidditch team and both Ron and Ginny played on the team this year. Katie, Angelina and Alicia formed the last team."

"Thank you, Susan. Thomas, get the contact information from Susan, I will want to thank all of them for their help today." Amelia finally turned to a fuming Octavius. "Now Octavius, I can try to address your concerns..."

**References:**

The Carpe Retractum spell was listed as being a part of a Harry Potter video game by the HP Lexicon _Pulls objects toward the caster, or vice versa._


	16. Chapter 15: Visitors and Family

**Chapter 15: Visitors and Family**

**Weasley Discussions**

Amidst the controlled chaos of the aftermath, the Weasley offspring formed into a small group to discuss the events of the past battle.

"Fred, George, you two did very well at protecting us all. Well done," Bill said while methodically checking each of his brothers for injuries and doing a spot of field healing where needed.

"Thanks, Bill."

"But we saw Neville doing it first."

"And our lovely team mates."

"Started to do so as well."

"Although, Oliver is not lovely, and I think I saw him helping."

"True, Gred, Oliver can't be considered lovely."

"Thanks, you two," Bill interrupted before the twins could get up a head of steam, and took over the conversation. "Percy, you did a good job of holding Dad back. I thought he was going to charge the Death Eaters a couple of times. That cut on your forehead needs more attention than I can give it here. Be sure we work on healing that up later."

Percy nodded, still not too sure how he fit back in the family dynamic, but pleased to be a part of the family again.

"Charlie, did you see who I saw?" Bill asked while checking his last brother.

"Yes, Bill, I did," Charlie answered. "Here, let me deal with your cuts. Do you think you can show me this Reserve you were talking about a couple of days ago?"

"Thanks, Charlie, and yes, I think a visit to the Reserve is warranted." Bill then turned back to the twins. "I thought you two told me that Snape was still a bloody git. Yet he turned up here: took out a pair of werewolves; and seems to be on very good terms with Harry Potter."

The twins looked at each other and then back towards their brother. "Bill, if we hadn't seen it for ourselves, we would never have believed it," they chorused together before returning to their normal back and forth banter.

"We know Harry told us he hated the man."

"And from all reports, Snape hated Harry right back."

"We know Snape was not invited."

"As we personally."

"Very personally and with a bit of glee."

"Removed his invite and destroyed it."

"To our chagrin, we must admit."

"The man came through."

"We were sure he would have been on the other side."

"Casting at us, not killing werewolves."

"Boys!" Arthur said as he came up.

"Dad, stand still!" Bill ordered as he started to patch his father up like he had his brothers.

"Thanks, Bill." Arthur waited for his cuts to be tended to, then continued. "We have decided to go ahead and have the funeral it should start in a half an hour or so."

**Another Morning After**

Harry woke to a sniffling Luna, and for a brief moment he panicked about what he might have done to upset her, except as soon as she realized he was awake, Luna turned around in his arms and started crying into his shoulder.

"Luna? Lady Luna, what's wrong?" Harry asked when the tears and sobs subsided a bit.

"We messed up a bit, Harry," Luna's voice was choked up with a half-sob. "No one was there for Hermione last night, and now she is about to break."

"Huh? What do you mean she is about to break, Luna?"

"Hermione killed people yesterday, Harry, and because we were all focused on Blaise, I don't think anyone noticed how badly it was affecting her. We are becoming numb to some of the killing, while this was the first time Hermione had to face up to the results. Hermione's parents helped her through the effects from that first fight, but Mum Granger was hovering over Blaise last night..."

"I heard Tee ask Daphne to spend the night in the room with herself and Blaise, which of course left Hermione alone," Harry said with some understanding. "How about I take Hermione flying this morning for a bit? I haven't been able to spend any time with her for the last week, and with how on edge we are, a day of rest is needed."

"Harry..."

"What, Luna?"

"I...I...I'm..." Luna got choked up and couldn't continue.

"Love, what's wrong?" Harry asked as he pulled his lady closer.

"Harry, if you take Hermione flying, she may try to throw herself at you," Luna finally said in a rush.

"What? Hermione wouldn't do that. She is actually very happy for us."

"Normally Hermione wouldn't do that," Luna said speaking into Harry's shoulder. "This is not normal, Harry, Hermione, is breaking and she feels like she needs some love, any love."

That caused Harry to pause, and the next several minutes were spent holding Luna close while he thought about the problem.

"Luna, how about you take all of the Grangers to London for a family day out?" Harry asked after thinking his idea through. "We know that Blaise is confined to his bed for at least today, and Tracey wants Daphne's support and help with caring for him. I could help you get all three Grangers to London, and then I will return here to work with our potions master. He did say we needed to brew some more Serum of Life, and I can help prepare the ingredients."

Luna unburied her head and looked at her love with some hope as he continued.

"This afternoon, we are to meet Thomas and Amantha and let them know some of the clan's secrets, so I can re-meet up with you four and invite Thomas and Amantha for a late lunch before we all head back here. If Hermione needs to blow off some more steam this afternoon, I can still take her flying, but I'll ask that you join us."

"Thank you, Harry!" Luna sighed. "I think that will work. Although why would we three all be going out together?"

"I want to test that pouch belt I have been working on, Luna, and I think I should have you along for the test." Harry gave Luna another squeeze and then rolled onto his back, pulling Luna on top of him. "After all, I don't get as much time to just have you around anymore. We have all been too busy."

As Harry moved in for a very improper kiss, Luna sighed and melted into him. If Hermione had managed to throw herself at Harry alone, things might have gotten out of hand, and Luna did not want the Grangers to need to leave. They were too important for the clan's well being. Having both Harry and herself along with Hermione would be better; even if Hermione broke down, things should not go too far.

– – (()) – –

"Potions Master, Mum Granger, Dad Granger, can I interrupt you for a minute?" Harry asked the adults short time later.

"Is there a problem, Harry?" Evan asked for the three adults.

"Um, yes, Luna has seen a problem, but how did you know?"

"You didn't even say good morning, Harry," Robyn answered. "What is the problem?"

"Well, Luna and I have kind of already planned your day today, and we didn't ask first."

"Is that the problem, or your solution for the problem?" Evan wanted to know. "It is very unlike Luna or you to impose on us."

"It's a part of the solution, Sir," Harry answered with his head down.

The three adults shared a concerned glance.

"What can you tell us, Potter?" Severus asked, and although he had not used Harry's given name, his tone was gentler than normal.

"I am hoping you will be willing to accept some assistance with the ingredient preparation this morning, Sir. And Luna is hoping the whole Granger family will take her to London."

Evan and Robyn shared a glance. "Did Hermione and Daphne have a fight last night, Harry?" Evan finally asked.

"Not that I know of, but Tracey asked Daphne to help her last night with Blaise."

"Oh, dear," Robyn said even as she stood and started towards the stairs. "Harry, you fill Evan in on the rest of your plan. I'm going to check on my daughter."

"We were sure Daphne would help Hermione last night," Evan said to the room in general. "What can you tell me about what Luna saw?"

– – (()) – –

"I can't believe how much of a difference there is in Dad this morning," Charlie remarked to Bill over the breakfast table.

"Did you see how many of the attacking Death Eaters Dad put down?" Bill answered Charlie's unspoken question obliquely. "I heard one of the Aurors report to Madam Bones that Dad killed more than most of the defending Aurors. That Percy was able to hold Dad back and keep him from running at the Death Eaters is even more remarkable than I originally thought."

"No, I didn't see. I admit I was concentrating more on the twins, at least until they started to cover us by blocking the killing curses coming our way," Charlie answered as he re-lived part of the fight. "After they started covering us, I concentrated on putting down some Death Eaters of my own."

"I fully expect Dad to be lethargic again in a couple of days, but for now he feels he paid back the scum that killed Mom, Ron, and Ginny," Bill said before changing the subject. "Did you want me to show you where the Lovegood Reserve is this afternoon? Now that the funeral is over, we will need to consider going back to work."

Charlie nodded his agreement, and further conversation had to wait as Mr. Weasley and Percy joined them at the table.

– – (()) – –

Hermione cried against her mother's shoulder with an intensity that would frighten most people. She knew she was going to have to be ready to go into London for a part of the day, but for right now, her mother was holding her like she used to when Hermione had been scared after a nightmare. It was helping, and although there was a lot of self hate to get through, the tears were releasing some of the poison.

– – (()) – –

Thomas was not really sure exactly where he was this morning; at least he wasn't sure until he opened his eyes to find Amantha sharing his bed. Or more truthfully, she was sharing her bed with him.

Amantha had invited Thomas over to her flat to discuss ways of communicating while she was liaison to Luna's clan; her re-assignment was starting to make sense now. Madam Bones must have figured out he and Amantha were attracted to each other, and had needed to give them separate duties. The couple had spoken about Amantha's new duties and several other things, before the gorgeous woman had pounced on him. Not that he had needed much encouragement. That first time they had come together had been all about passion and lust; the second time had been about tenderness and affection; and that third time, it had been about love and something more, something called commitment.

Amantha stirred, and seeing he was awake, her hand slipped down his chest to caress him in a much more private place. Thomas returned the caress and found her to be as ready for him as he was for her. Thomas rolled on to his back while pulling his new lady love on top of him. Amantha guided him into her and sat up concentrating on their joining, while Thomas' hands roamed up and supported her breasts. It was a good thing they were not needed anywhere before afternoon. It looked like it was going to be a deliciously long morning.

– – (()) – –

Albus Dumbledore was having yet another bad morning; Madam Bones had been very upset that he had wanted to collect the wands from all of the guests at the Weasleys' funeral. Since the funeral had been attacked, if the wands had been collected, it would have turned into a massacre. This had resulted in Madam Bones spending quite a bit of time questioning Albus about what he knew, trying to pin some kind of collusion charge on him. What was that muggle saying? If it were not for bad luck, he would have no luck at all.

– – (()) – –

The wraith-like Voldemort was as pleased as a mostly dead wizard could be. He had finally found a Death Eater he could communicate with, and preparations for a ritual that would give him a body back were now underway. Voldemort did not have the time to try and lure Harry Potter somewhere to get his blood, so the easier ritual had been chosen. It would consume one of his Horcruxes, but he would be able to replace it in a month.

– – (()) – –

Amelia looked in on Susan and watched her niece as she slept. The past few weeks had been a bit difficult, but she and Susan were closer now than they ever had been. It was just in time for Susan to start her own household. Neville had cornered Amelia at the funeral and had requested a chance to speak with her. It was Amelia's guess that Neville wanted to ask Susan to marry him. Susan had already confessed to Amelia that she was quite taken with the Head of the House of Black. What Susan's pending nuptials would do to Hannah remained to be seen. It was too early for Hannah's pregnancy to show, but the magical world would not be very forgiving to the young woman's situation.

**Seer Training**

"Yes, Miss Lovegood?" Amelia asked when the young blonde showed up at her office door.

"We are here to pick up Amantha and Thomas. It seems Narcissa Black wishes to come with us as well, Madam Bones," Luna said hesitantly as she entered the office.

Amelia sighed, and turned more of her attention towards a very special young lady: a lady that had done more for the well-being of the common witch and wizard than any other person alive today. But she was a lady that was acting not at all as confident as Amelia had seen her act before. "That is good, Miss Lovegood, I have no issues with Ms. Black visiting your Reserve, as you call it. Now what is really the issue?"

"Tonight, when you leave the office, would you please visit with the other late worker?" Luna asked. "This isn't about an attack or a leak; it is about helping others begin to heal."

"Is there something else you can tell me, Miss Lovegood?"

Amelia didn't sigh again, but she wanted to when the young lady shook her head.

"Luna, I'm not going to eat you. I'm displeased you feel you can't trust my department to help you, but I am very aware of how much you have managed to get done. Without your guidance hundreds of other people would be dead or injured right now. So please tell me what has you so worried."

"I messed up last night, Madam Bones, and it hurt others in what I call my clan," Luna answered, while continuing to enter the office, and not even noticing when Amelia caused the door to close behind her.

"Do you think the others in your clan won't forgive your mistake, Luna?"

"I think my clan is very forgiving, but it has pointed out that I have been so focused on killing that I had forgotten to help with the living."

"And...?"

"Will you please make sure you talk to the other person that is working late tonight? I think it will help you both."

"Luna, do you know why we don't have seers helping us make every decision, or help us plan every attack or defense?" Amelia wished she had known Luna's mother better, the poor girl had been hurt badly by her mother's death and it seemed no one had noticed.

"No, Ma'am, though I admit I did wonder about it."

"As you are very aware, gifts like yours don't normally show up till you are several years older. What I expect you don't know is that others with your gift would seek you out to help you train your special talents. A part of that training would include an unbreakable vow not to interfere with the average person's life.

I believe if you were to search your mother's old mail you would find a letter from one of these trainers, telling your mother about your gifts and asking that you spend some of your summers with other seers starting after you turned eleven. Now why do you suppose your trainers would want that kind of a vow, Luna?"

The poor girl looked confused by the information she had been given, and finally shook her head to show she didn't know.

"Because if you were to try and help everyone you could, Luna, you would go mad. One of the reasons for an anchor is to give you someone to support you as others around you do things that you know are not optimal. Harry Potter has done an excellent job of helping your deal with your abilities, and once the blight of Voldemort is truly gone, I want you and Harry to seek out other seers. Yes, you will likely have to make that unbreakable vow, but you will live a much better life afterward." Amelia wondered if she could contact one of the seer conclaves to let them know about Luna.

"Now, Luna, I want to thank you for giving me what warning you can, and I won't ask you about it again," Amelia said. "How about you give me what update you can on Voldemort. Is there any word on the other Horcruxes?"

"You aren't going to ship me off to the seer training right now?" Luna asked focusing on the part of the conversation that was important to her at the moment.

"I am going to put out some feelers about where a trainer might be contacted, but I have every intention of using your abilities to bring the Dark Lord down until I get that information. The vow is more about keeping yourself sane than it is about someone like me using the information."

"You are telling me to let the others live their lives and not to interfere with the day-to-day lives of those around me," Luna mused to herself.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. The DMLE and I need the information you can provide, so I'm glad you are here to give me that information. But, Luna, you are an important person beyond your abilities, and I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to make every person's life wonderful. It won't happen."

Tears started to form in the young woman's eyes. "Thank you, Madam Bones."

"After this, and what I hope will be other conversations we have, I think you can call me Aunt Amelia. Susan calls me Auntie. And now, because I think it is important that I understand all you can tell me, what about Voldemort?"

"He has contacted a person that will help him regain a body, but the ritual must be performed on the night of a new moon, and there is no way they could be ready in time for the new moon tomorrow night. Amantha will be able to get you other needed information as we get closer. I hope the clan will be able to get a Horcrux within the next two weeks, but others must make decisions before that can happen, and I can't influence those decisions."

"That you are able to accept that you can't help with all decisions is a good sign, Luna," Amelia interrupted.

Luna smiled a bit through her still teary eyes and continued. "There are still three Horcruxes as of today. If we can get that one I keep seeing, there is a slight chance we might be able to actually kill Tom for good right after he regains his body. It will depend on which Horcrux he uses."

"Why don't you tell me what you know about the remaining Horcruxes, Luna? Maybe I can use some of my contacts to help."

"One is Tom's snake familiar, so we won't be able to get to that one till the new moon since she is being protected too well. The next Horcrux is in a vault in the depths of Gringotts, and I haven't seen any way of getting to that one early without causing issues with our attempt at removing the senile Headmaster from power. The last Horcrux is a ring and is hidden behind some of the most deadly protections that I have ever seen.

If, in the next week, my clan can't get to that ring, Amantha will be in contact, as your people could help us get that one. If it can be destroyed before Tom retrieves it, that would leave only two and if he uses the cup found in the vault, the snake will be at the ritual and if she can be killed while we try to kill Tom it will be over. But if Tom uses the snake, the cup will still be in the vault and we won't be able to kill Tom for good until the next new moon, and he will know we are gunning for him. If that happens we will want all the forces you can muster to help with that last showdown."

"Luna!"

"Yes, Madam, er, Aunt Amelia?"

"No matter what Horcrux Tom decides to use, you will allow us to provide some Auror support at the ritual in a month! Is that quite clear?"

Luna looked down at her feet, before looking back at her new honorary aunt. "Yes, ma'am, although if it looks like we might get to kill him for good, we will want Aurors elsewhere to help round up the last remaining Death Eaters."

"Then we will arrange for that, but it does not change the fact that I will want to be there and there will be other Aurors with me. We can't help you look after your clan if you don't let us, Luna.

For that matter if the ring is behind such deadly protections, I want at least some Aurors with you when your clan tries for that one as well. I will contact the Goblins about the vault to see if there is a loophole in the treaties that would allow us to access such a dark object."

"But Dumbledore..."

"The man you call the senile Headmaster is mostly toothless right now. And, since I have seen the reports of what he has done, I would like him removed from power as well. But the fact remains, that Dumbledore does not go around killing people and Voldemort does. So Tom is our first concern, and if that means it will take a month or so longer to bring Dumbledore to justice, I am willing to wait that month if we can take care of Tom, for good, a month earlier."

**Non-Betrayal**

"Miss Greengrass?"

"Sir, I'm going to go flying before we have new people here in the Reserve," Daphne said to Severus.

"Sit down, Miss Greengrass."

"Sir, I'm just..."

"Sit down, Miss Greengrass."

Severus Snape might not be the feared man she remembered from Hogwarts, but one still did not ignore the man. Daphne sat down and tried to calm herself.

"Miss Greengrass, I'm not often called on to interfere, but it seems you are stuck with me instead of Evan or Robyn, so please listen to what I have to say. You did nothing wrong, and are not any more at fault than I am."

"I let Hermione down!" The dam broke, ever since it had become evident that Hermione had spent the night without the help she had needed, Daphne had been fretting. "Hermione was there when I needed her, and I wasn't there when she needed me!"

"Did Miss Davis need you, Miss Greengrass? How about Mr. Zabini?"

"Well, yes, Tee did ask for my help..."

"And were you a help?"

"Yes, I think so; Tee said she wouldn't have been able to sleep at all if I hadn't been there."

"Then you were where you needed to be. You did not let the clan down. The clan that Luna has gathered is about all of us. We all let Hermione down. You were needed elsewhere and we all should have seen what Hermione needed.

We have a very uncommon resource with the knowledge the Luna brings, and I believe that knowledge will have made the difference. Hermione's pain was caught early enough to prevent serious issues, and the Grangers spending this morning away is the start of the healing process. It is not intended to cause you to think you failed."

Severus looked her with an unexpected expression. "I will not stop you from going to fly some, but I want you to do so with a clearer head. Think about what I have said. You did not let Hermione down, Daphne."

Daphne sat for a few moments longer, stunned at the message and that Severus had used her given name.

"Thank you, Sir," she finally whispered and she left to collect her thoughts before she would leave the Reserve.

– – (()) – –

Severus was then able to return to his brewing, at least until Daphne interrupted him again.

"Sir?"

He sighed, "Yes, Miss Greengrass?"

"Sir, I want to thank you for your words earlier, I am on my way to go flying now."

Severus looked at Daphne a bit more closely at that. "Are you sure you understand what I was saying? You don't appear as calm as you usually do, Daphne."

"I still let Hermione down, Sir, but I'm willing to admit that it was not the unforgivable betrayal I had originally thought. I could have at least visited her last night, but you are right, Tee, needed me and I was helping the clan by helping Tee and Blaise."

Severus thought over Daphne's words and the way she delivered them. "Very well, if you need to discuss this with Mum or Dad Granger, they should be back this afternoon."

Marshaling her courage, Daphne approached the man, and when he turned his full attention to her, she gave him a brief hug.

"Sir, you may not be Mum or Dad Granger, but you have shown that you care as deeply as they do. Thank you for being here for me."

Daphne then quickly left the room, before the stunned man she had left could react.

– – (()) – –

"Severus, what's wrong?" Evan asked when he found his fellow adult male unmoving and staring at nothing.

"Evan, I don't recognize myself any longer."

"What happened? Did Daphne leave in tears?"

"Miss Greengrass still feels like she let your daughter down, but her words were that it was not the unforgivable betrayal as she had first thought. She went flying."

"That is as good as we can expect, but what happened to you?"

"Miss Greengrass, Daphne, gave me a hug, and thanked me for caring..."

Evan smiled and draped is arm over the shoulders of the Potions Master. "Good for Daphne." At the uncomprehending look Evan received, Evan tried to explain. "You have always cared, but at first you could not express it. It was buried too deeply under the Death Eater you had to be. Then you started expressing yourself to Robyn and me, and now you are beginning to express it towards others of our clan. It is no wonder you don't recognize yourself."

Evan gave the still stunned man a few seconds, then said, "Severus, you need to join us in the common room, you have company."

"I have company?"

"Narcissa came with Thomas and Amantha, and Narcissa came to see you. I'll tell them you will be along in a few moments, please don't take too long."

**Hawks, Grims, Snorkacks**

Luna watched as a Grim shaped Harry Potter frolicked in the undergrowth just down from the tree she and Hermione were leaning against. The pouch belt was a major success as Harry was able to change into his owl, this Grim, and a Harris Hawk. There was room on the belt to add another form.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Luna heard as the girl beside her slipped a hand under Luna's own hand.

"I admit to not really thinking anything, Hermione," Luna answered. "I was just enjoying the sight of Harry simply enjoying himself."

"He does appear to be enjoying himself." Hermione paused before changing subjects. "Luna, thank you for today."

Luna turned towards Hermione and found her to be clear eyed and no longer looking like she was about to cry. "You're welcome, Hermione. I'm sorry we didn't notice your discomfort last night. It seems we have become more hardened to killing than I expected us to."

"Mum told me this morning that this whole day has been to help me. I didn't think you would spend so much time on me."

"Harry and I spent the same kind of time with Daphne before you and your parents joined us at the Reserve. We will spend whatever time is needed to help our clan, and you, Hermione, are very much a part of our clan."

Hermione nodded, and actually budged over a bit closer but other than squeezing the slim hand she was holding made no other sign she had heard.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"Do you know why Harry selected another flying form for his belt?"

"Because he couldn't use the belt to change into a Snorkack."

That startled Luna out of her semi-daydreaming state as she turned again towards Hermione, this time in shock. "What?"

"Sorry," Hermione laughed. "I couldn't resist."

"Humph!" Luna snorted, and then giggled. "You did that very well, Hermione."

"To answer your question, Harry wanted a soaring bird that could be found in daylight hours," Hermione answered Luna's question.

"But I don't think that hawk is native to Britain," Luna protested.

"It isn't native, but has been introduced here."

"Huh?"

"The Harris Hawk is native to Central America and is unusual in that it is a social bird of prey, and has been known to hunt in groups. That trait has made the Harris a favorite bird for Falconry. So while not native, you will find them in England now, and as a social bird, it would not be too unusual to see a group of them."

"Ah, thank you, Hermione," Luna said as she re-settled against the tree.

"No, Luna, thank you for today, I feel much better than I did."

"It takes time, Hermione, you won't ever be the same, but you are very much still needed and loved."

**References:**

Harris Hawk in Britain:

http : / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Harris's_Hawk

"Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity."

http : / www . peregrinefund . org / explore_raptors / hawks /

"Since about 1980, Harris's Hawks have been increasingly used in falconry and are now the most popular hawks in the West (outside of Asia) for that purpose, as they are the easiest to train and the most social."

http: / users . cybercity . dk / ~ccc12787 / raptors /

"The Harris' hawk has become the most popular hawk and is the greatest invention in 20th century falconry."

http : / news . bbc . bo . uk / 2 / hi / uk_news / england / devon

"Harris hawks are being used to deal with the growing seagull problem at a Devon shopping centre."

Group hunting

http : / www . youtube . com / watch ?v=Ai3eVjr0Pzg


	17. Chapter 16: A plan comes together

**Chapter 16: A plan comes together**

**A/N:**

I am posting this chapter a day early because my work week is looking like it is going to be very busy.

This is one of my favorite chapters. I think I had more fun writing this one than nearly any other chapter in the story. Strange, I know.

**Additional Visitors**

Bill Weasley bit back an 'I told you so' when his brother, Charlie, stumbled from the cave-like entrance Bill had found and opened. Finding the Lovegood Reserve had not been too difficult as Bill had been there before, and part of being a good curse breaker was the innate ability to know where he was.

The first ward they had found was very impressive, but was designed to act more like a 'Notice-Me-Not' charm. The second ward was a great deal more powerful but Mr. Lovegood had spent some time with an aspiring curse breaker, Bill himself, those years ago, and so Bill knew how to get around them without triggering any response or bringing it down.

That was when Charlie had started to get impatient; he was not used to just watching while others did all the work. When Bill had gotten the fairy hill to actually open, Charlie had gone straight in while brushing off Bill's warning.

"You can say it if you want," Charlie panted, as he grimaced and leaned against a large rock next to the entrance. "I should have waited for you."

"How many right hand branches did you take, Charlie?" Bill asked.

"Huh? I don't know, just took whatever branch seemed to go down into the hill," Charlie answered.

"While you were busy spelunking, I worked on figuring out the secret. No matter what it looks like, always take the left hand turning. You need to be grateful that these wards really do nothing more than confuse you and return you to the entrance. Most wards with this kind of power are a great deal less benevolent," Bill explained.

"Which is why you let me enter I suppose," Charlie said as he pushed himself up from the rock. "Shall we go?"

Before Bill could answer, another of the innate abilities of a good curse break kicked in, and he dodged to the left and into an intentional somersault even as he pulled his wand as the telltale red of a stunning spell passed through the area he had been standing.

"Charlie, don't!" Bill called, but it was no use, Charlie was not in a good mood after being ejected by the fairy hill, and was not going to pass up a fight, even if he, and Bill, were the trespassers.

Charlie's wand was out and casting at the young woman that had surprised the two Weasley boys. Bill was ready to cover his brother if needed, but stayed out of the fight. The young woman always knew where he was, but since Bill wasn't casting, she did not cast at him either. At least Charlie was casting the same kind of non-fatal spells the young woman was.

The two duelers were well matched. Charlie was known as the most capable of the Weasley offspring at dueling, and this young woman was, figuratively speaking, standing toe-to-toe with Charlie. Figuratively, because both she and Charlie were dodging, weaving, and casting all at the same time.

Bill felt it as reinforcements entered the field, although they did not come from the entrance of the fairy mound as he expected. Glancing over his shoulder he saw three owls flying in. One peeled off to aim towards him, while the other two zeroed in on Charlie.

Bill held his right arm out to the side and waited. Madam Bones had been sure that owls signaled bad things for Death Eaters. Bill just hoped that whatever, or whoever, was flying at him would recognize that he did not intend to fight, and that they wouldn't be instantly hostile towards non-Death Eaters. The owl altered course slightly and first circled behind him and then landed, falcon-like, on his arm. Not something a normal owl would do, and, even more amazing, the sharp talons of the bird's legs were not piercing the skin on his arm. It was obvious they could but they didn't.

Sparing a glance for his brother, Bill found Charlie flat on his back and looking up at a large dog that reminded Bill of a Grim, while Luna Lovegood stood slightly to the side, with her own wand trained on Charlie, even as she was glancing over in Bill's direction.

Bill looked back at the owl on his arm, the owl looked right back at him with brown eyes instead of the normal amber he would have expected. But then again, Bill knew this was not a real owl.

"I promise not to do anything stupid," Bill told the owl. After a few seconds the owl released his arm and landed gracefully on the ground several feet in front of Bill, even as it…she, turned into an attractive young woman with brown hair. Her wand was pulled from a holster and while she did not point it directly at him, it was obvious she was still guarding him.

"I'm not sure we have actually really met, but I know you're Bill Weasley," the woman said in a pleasant voice, without the anger Bill could have expected. "Why weren't you helping your brother against Daphne? For that matter why was Daphne fighting Charlie? What are you two doing here?"

"Hermione," Luna called over. "Why don't you and William join us, as I would like to know the answers as well, and without a lot of yelling."

Bill made a show of putting his own wand back in the holster he had on his arm, and then offered his arm as if to escort this Hermione toward the others.

"Thanks, but I think I'll walk behind you this time." Hermione gestured for Bill to take the lead, her own wand still out, but also not pointed at him.

The original fighter, now identified as Daphne, walked over to stand over Charlie, although Charlie was still on his back, with the Grim-like dog growling down at him.

"How did you know what I was asking, Luna?" Hermione asked as she and Bill joined the larger group. "You can't be seeing the questions as you are in close proximity."

"Hermione, I am quite sure we all have the same questions, and since William," Bill winced at this given name, "wasn't actively trying to hurt Daphne, I think we should start by questioning him."

"The short answers are as follows," Bill started to explain. "Charlie was worried about Luna. It seems he has tried to get over to see her any time he is in England, but with a new grave with Luna's name and a burned out husk where the she used to live, he thought he would just need to mourn her as he was mourning our fallen. Then we both saw Luna, and the rest of you, at the funeral, and we decided that we both wanted to know what our ex-neighbor was up to.

Years ago, when I first mentioned that I wanted to become a curse breaker, Mr. Lovegood brought me here to show me what layered wards looked like. Your Daphne found us as we were about to enter looking for you, Luna.

As to why I wasn't helping my brother, no one was using deadly force, and I have learned from my time in Egypt that, as long as you haven't done anything really wrong when found where you weren't invited, it is generally better to surrender and offer no resistance."

"Thank you, William..."

"Bill," Bill interrupted.

"What?"

"Luna, I would much rather be called Bill. Dad only uses William when he needs to correct me," Bill explained. "I know you seem to like using our birth names, but I would rather you didn't use mine."

"I will work on it, William, I mean Bill. As I was saying, thank you, for your clear answers. It is true that Charlie came to visit me..." Luna's speech faded out as she became unfocused for a second. Then she looked at Bill more closely. "Can we hire you to do some curse breaking?"

"I work for Gringotts, Luna," Bill said. "You can request a curse breaker from them and ask for me, but I can't really do anything without their approval. It is a part of my employment contract."

"Can you come to Gringotts with us tomorrow then?" Luna asked.

"I think so. I was about to contact the Goblins anyway to let them know I could return to work."

"Harry?"

Bill watched as the Grim-like dog got off Charlie and turned into Harry Potter.

"Yes, Luna?"

"Harry, send Hedwig to Gringotts, and ask for a meeting tomorrow, and then have Hedwig let Madam Bones know about the meeting. This could be really good."

"Got it," Harry said before turning to Charlie as the red-headed man start to get up from the ground. "Since you are here because you were concerned about Luna, I'll let this slide, but don't attack anyone else."

"Not on my life, I know. But I would like to know how you are able to change from an owl to a bloody Grim and back to a human."

"That may be explained later, Charlie," Luna commented. "Your dad will not be home tonight, so you and William…Bill, can stay while we try to catch up."

"Luna, you have me worried here," Charlie said as he looked at her more closely. "How do you know if Dad will or won't be home tonight?"

"It will be explained, although not in detail at first, I expect," Luna said. "I am very pleased you wanted to check up on me, Charlie, but Will…Bill, showing up here can make a big difference in the fight against Voldemort, and he needs to be brought up to speed first."

**Healing the hurts**

Harry had run ahead, and with Luna alternating between asking Bill about the times her dad had shown him about the Reserve, and asking Charlie about his work on the Dragon Reserve, Daphne and Hermione were able to hang back and, after they could not hear the discussion taking place in front of them any longer, Daphne gathered Hermione in a fierce hug. She was surprised and pleased when Hermione hugged her right back with the same fierceness.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you last night, Hermione," Daphne choked out after a moment. "I can't tell you how upset I was when Harry told Tee…"

"Shush, Daphne, quietly now," Hermione crooned even while tears began to leak from her own eyes to match the ones that were making traces down the cheeks of her friend.

"Look at me!" cried Daphne. "I should be the one helping you, and instead, you are comforting me!"

"You are helping me, Daphne, you are showing me how much you care," Hermione replied. "There were times last night where I was afraid, afraid I had lost…, well I was afraid lost everything."

"And I wasn't there."

"But you were there, Daphne. All night long, whenever I started to think too hard about what I had done, I would also remember you, and how you taught me to break out of my know-it-all ways, and how you took the time to nudge me if I started to get too deeply engrossed in a book, and how you felt against me those few nights we shared together, and how you once told me how you wished you were as strong as I appeared to be. It still hurt, but you thought I could be strong, so for you, I would be strong.

My Mom showed up this morning, and started to draw the poison, and Luna, bless her soul, made sure I was cosseted earlier, and now, you know she is giving us this time. Time where I can thank you for all you have done. If you and I hadn't become close, I would be the basket case I was after I alienated Harry. I think, that while I liked being cosseted, I like knowing you were worried about me even better."

"I thought I heard Harry say you were breaking," Daphne managed to get out. This conversation was going differently than she had expected.

"I think this morning, I was breaking, Daphne. The long night had gotten to me, but then Mom came, and she knew what I was feeling." Hermione paused to chuckle at a memory. "Do you know that Mom thinks you are the best thing to happen to me since I started going to Hogwarts?"

Daphne shook her head.

"Well, she does. While the long night finally did get to me, the thought of you is what kept me going for most of the night. Now you have re-affirmed your belief in me."

– – (()) – –

Amelia was puzzling out the request to meet Luna and Harry at Gringotts the next afternoon when a visitor announced the meeting she was dreading had arrived.

"Octavius, good evening."

"Madam Bones, may I have a moment of your time?" The man everyone knew would be the next Minister of Magic entered and closed the door behind him.

"I was wondering when you might show up, Octavius," Amelia said with a resigned expression.

"I knew you were a smart one, Amelia, so I will ask straight out, what am I going to do with you, assuming I am elected?"

"That depends, Octavius. I know you will not want someone you consider a political rival to hold such an important position in your government. But we are close to getting rid of Voldemort for good, and the timeline can change by a month or more depending on choices he makes, and right now there is very little we can do to influence those choices. I would like to remain the head of the DMLE until he is truly gone, but that may not happen until after the election and you are sworn in as Minister."

"What changed, Amelia? For years nothing was going right, and now your department has had a series of very visible victories, and to be truthful, they started right before Fudge was forced out."

"We got some unexpected help, Octavius, combined with some poor decisions by Fudge, which allowed me to bypass the slacker."

"That was a very incomplete answer, Amelia."

"And it would remain incomplete, Octavius, even if you were already Minister. I do not want to compromise my sources. It is not that I don't think you would intentionally let the information slip, but the chance that it could slip becomes greater with every person that knows."

"I am not Fudge, and I hope that, having seen what a Fudge can do, I will not try to manipulate you or your department. I would, of course, love it if the Dark Lord fell during my term of office, but the deaths that could occur in the extra time would make it a bittersweet event," Octavius said after he thought about Amelia had said. "If you will promise me to let me know when the Dark Lord is defeated, I will agree to letting you remain at your job until he is gone."

Octavius paused and changed the subject. "When that day does come, I do not want to fire you, Amelia; you have done a lot of good here. Will I be able to get you to retire? I know you have enough years in service to do so."

"Yes, Octavius," Amelia sighed. "I will agree to retire. I am still hopeful that this mess will be cleaned up before the elections. As soon as you are in office the remaining purebloods are going to be out for blood because so many of the old lines are dead and gone, ignoring the fact that they are gone because they died in the service of the Dark Lord."

"I expect that will be my first major headache as well. Amelia, who do you think could handle your office?"

- - (()) - -

"These medallions are what allow all of you to turn into owls and back into humans?" Charlie asked, flabbergasted. "But how did Harry turn into that bloody Grim?"

"Watch your language." Daphne interrupted. While the rest of the people at the Reserve were mostly getting along, Daphne and Charlie remained hostile toward each other. Bill expected Charlie was stung that he had been fought to a standstill by woman younger than he and Daphne seemed to have picked up the mild dislike Charlie was feeling and continued to needle him throughout evening.

"I have been transferring the information found on the medallions onto a belt, and the length of the belt allows for the equivalent of multiple medallions." Harry replied while frowning at Daphne.

"I'm going to side with Daphne this time," Robyn broke in. "Charlie, please watch your language. I know Luna really wants to talk to Bill about some curse breaking, but we can ask you to leave."

"Sorry, Ma'am," Charlie said as he frowned. "We don't need to watch what we are saying where I work, mild curses are sprinkled throughout our daily activities.

"I can empathize, Charlie, but we are not at your work, and I don't want the kids to pick that habit up from you." Robyn laid down the law. "Amantha and Thomas are both Aurors and likely spend a great deal of their time cursing, but they have managed to be polite."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Amantha spoke up. "I admit though it has been a bit rough."

"You and Thomas have both done fine, so far," Evan said. "I do think Charlie can be forgiven this time, however, as it is a fairly startling concept to take in. But Charlie, I agree with Mum Granger, we do not want the kids that are here full time to pick up that habit. We have enough to go along with on our plates right now."

– – (()) – –

Bill found himself alone for a few moments after dinner while Robyn and Evan were showing Amantha and Thomas the room being assigned to them. Charlie was spending time with Luna while Hermione and Daphne had disappeared for the evening already, with some comments from Mr. and Mrs. Granger about them needing to make up after an argument. Tracey had assisted a still convalescing Blaise to the room they shared for his medication, and Narcissa was speaking with Harry and Severus about some properties Narcissa wanted Harry to see.

After first writing a letter to the Goblins and asking that Harry's owl send it along during the night, he wandered into the library, Bill was looking through the titles just to get a feel for the kinds of books that could be found here in the Reserve, and he was quite impressed with the wide selection of different subjects. Hearing someone else enter the room, Bill turned to find it was Severus Snape, a man he had hated in school. Still, he had seen Severus helping against the attack at the Burrow and to be fair, all of the youngsters that seemed to be living here were showing him a great deal of respect.

"Good Evening, um, Potions Master, I think I heard you called," Bill offered.

"William," Severus responded.

"I would prefer that you call me Bill, Sir. We are no longer at Hogwarts."

"Very well, Bill, then. Mr. Potter suggested that I might check up on you to answer any questions. My presence was not needed in the discussion he was having with Narcissa."

"I have so many questions that I am not sure where to start," Bill confessed after a moment's thought. "But the big one has to do with my family. Do you know what happened the day Ron and Ginny died?"

"I can tell you a little, Bill, but there are some secrets that are not mine to share," Severus answered after his own moment of thought. "We knew who was going to be attacked and when, but there were only two teams. Daphne, Blaise and Tracey were one team, with Harry and Luna acting as the second one. Hermione, her parents and I were left behind to care for any wounded that were transferred here.

Daphne's team was the one that went to help at the Burrow, and they arrived after the Death Eaters had already attacked and had succeeded in killing your mother. They were able to eliminate the attackers, but when they offered to take your brother and sister to the place we were using as a hospital, your brother did not trust them enough to go with them. The fact that Daphne, Blaise and Tracey were Slytherins predisposed your brother to distrust them, and your brother told them he and your sister would make their way to a different place. The teams were exhausted by then and with several more houses set to be attacked, Daphne and her team left."

"Why did Daphne's team go to the Burrow and not Harry's team?" Bill asked.

"There were over twenty houses that were attacked that day, and, after much discussion, it was decided by all of us, that whoever could first go to a house would be the ones that went. The Burrow was attacked later in the day and it was simply chance that dictated who ended up there."

"How is it that three Slytherins from Death Eater families ended up helping Harry Potter?" Bill asked next.

"That I do not know for sure, Bill," Severus answered. "They were already established here when they gave me the chance to come here to do some potions research for Luna."

"For Luna?"

"This is really Luna's show, Bill. We all help where we can, but she is the decision maker."

"So Luna is a seer then," Bill said more to himself than to Severus. "No, Potions Master," Bill interrupted Severus' stuttering denial. "You did not say it in so many words, but I grew up next to the Lovegoods, and I know how to pay attention. I heard Hermione mention something about Luna seeing the questions she was asking me. Now to change the subject a bit, what about these medallions, and how are they made?"

– – (()) – –

Amelia finally finished for the night, and pushing away from her desk she stood and stretched and felt some pops along her back. Luna's sudden decision to meet with the Goblins still didn't make sense to Amelia, but at least she was being kept in the loop this time. Thinking of Luna, she had asked Amelia to check on 'the other person working late'. It was late enough that there should not be anyone else there except the Aurors' late shift, but it would not hurt to check to see if anyone else needed to be chased home.

Sure enough, there was one office still lit, and thinking about it, Amelia could have guessed who might be avoiding their home.

"Arthur."

"Huh? What?" the man roused from his concentration on the document in front of him.

"Arthur, it is way too late for you to still be here, and I didn't expect you to be in your office at all for at least another week."

"I couldn't stay at the Burrow," the poor man confessed. "It is too quiet: Percy has returned to his rented flat; the twins never left their new place; and Bill and Charlie are leaving to go back to their work on foreign shores. I felt good after killing all those Death Eaters, but now I don't know. I killed them, just like they would have killed me. And I did it without a thought of who they were and what their dreams were…"

'Oh my!' Amelia thought to herself, Luna must have seen that Arthur Weasley was nearing a breakdown. Amelia would need to thank the girl for this warning. Arthur needed a chance to release some of emotions he had been hiding for too long.

Amelia called down to the ready room and requested some tea and then sat down to listen to Arthur ramble about the fight, his dead family and wife, whatever the man needed to say.

- - (()) - -

Severus sat back in the couch and enjoyed the unexpected sensations of feeling another body shift to move with him instead of away from him. It was just Evan, Severus and Narcissa still up. Well really, it was just Evan and Severus, as sometime in the last half-hour Narcissa had fallen asleep and was currently cuddled, yes cuddled, into Severus' side. Evan was restraining himself from commenting, but only just barely. As for Severus himself, he was still trying to accept that Narcissa had made the trip to the Reserve mostly to spend a bit of time with him.

"Robyn said she would make up the last spare room on the third floor before she retired, Severus. I recommend we wake your guest and let her get some bed rest."

"I thought that would be Amantha's room," Severus mused, while not moving to wake Narcissa just yet.

"Robyn put Amantha on the fourth floor when it became obvious that Thomas would be spending the night with her." Evan then smirked. "I haven't seen a pair so much in lust and the throes of new love at the same time since Robyn and I moved to that stage in our relationship too many years ago."

Severus smirked right back at the man. "Are you going to look in on Hermione before you join your wife?"

"No, I do not need to see what is going on in Daphne's bed tonight," Evan fake complained. "I am very glad those two seemed to be reconciled but I so do not want to actually see my daughter, naked, hot, and sweaty with another person, any other person."

"How do you do it, Evan?" Severus asked turning serious for moment. "How do you and Robyn manage to actually hold this collection of people together? I know it isn't some spell, nor is it really Luna that holds this many people that are so different together. I mean, just look at me. I was an embittered bastard who couldn't see beyond a pair of glasses and some black hair. Today, the girl known in school as the 'Ice Princess' hugged me and thanked me for caring; Blaise Zabini is engaged to a half blooded witch; your daughter is very close friends with that same Ice Princess; and we accept the girl the school called Loony, and who also happens to be the youngest person in this house, as the leader and master planner. Any one of those things shouldn't be possible. It couldn't be possible without some kind of adult guidance, and as I've already mentioned, I was not the person that could do the guiding."

"It is more of Luna than I think you know, Severus," Evan mused aloud. "I know because Robyn and I have asked the very same question. Every day we worry that something is going to blow up, that some personality is going to push when a push would cause hurt."

Evan paused again before he continued. "But Robyn and I have been lucky that all of the kids, well except for Hermione, were starved for affection. Your three snakes came from what seems to have been rigid rather than affectionate households. That made the first part of our job as the only adults here much easier. We both love children and had wanted to have several more than just Hermione. But for whatever reason, Hermione is our only child. Being able to care for more than Hermione while we have been here is something we have relished.

And the kids were all hurting. All of them, from the killing they had done and, were planning. To be honest, Robyn and I were very worried when we first came here. But Luna just accepted us as people she cared about, which in turn predisposed Harry to accept us. Blaise and Tracey were already very wrapped up with each other and didn't start to come to us for adult affection till well after you arrived. Daphne was actually our first major concern, but as she and Hermione started to grow closer, she fell in line as well."

"And when I showed up to gum up the works?" Severus was dreading the answer but had to ask.

"Severus, you were a right pain in the arse when you arrived, but you were and are a very intelligent man. We had some issues with you based on what Hermione had told us happened while at Hogwarts. But Luna also explained to Robyn and I what that ugly tattoo was actually doing to you. For you to be able to fight that mark enough that you hadn't turned into a mindless killer means you had a moral code; it was just being disrupted. The kids saw a difference in you from the start, and we all believe it is because the dark mark was removed from your soul. The rest was just letting you heal yourself."

"I feel cleaner myself," Narcissa broke in showing that she woken from her catnap. "I only had the first stage of the mark on me." Narcissa rose a bit unsteadily and smiled thanks to Severus as he steadied her. "I will take you up on the bed offer. Can you show me where this room is, Evan? Goodnight, Severus, you were very comforting to me tonight."

**Gathering the parts**

Arthur Weasley was getting used to waking up on a couch, but this morning the couch was not the lumpy one he had been using at the Burrow. Arthur knew he was not at the Burrow, but he could not quite remember where he actually was. The last thing he remembered he was falling asleep at his desk.

Coffee? He was smelling coffee. Arthur rolled over and squinted up to see a young woman he really didn't know well.

"Auntie would like you to wake up now, Mr. Weasley," the young woman said with a smile. "If you hurry, you should be able to share breakfast with us."

"Auntie? Amelia?" Arthur managed to say.

"She brought you in sometime early this morning," Susan said. "You were already deeply asleep and we couldn't even wake you enough to put you to bed. If you would leave your robes outside the bathroom, we will do some quick cleaning spells to make them more presentable."

"Um, thank you?" Arthur said as he sat up and untangled himself from the covers.

"Susan, Mr. Weasley, Susan Bones."

– – (()) – –

Bill was once again in the library after a good night's sleep. He had awoken at his usual time and, after cleaning himself and then scourgifying the clothes that had worn the day before, he slipped down to the kitchen only to find Harry and Luna already up and making breakfast.

After being shooed from the room, Bill found himself continuing to browse the shelves when, he heard someone enter again. This time when he turned he found himself facing Hermione as she entered with a couple of book in her arms.

"Good morning," Bill said politely.

"Morning, Bill," Hermione responded with a smile as she headed to the shelves he was standing next to and re-shelved one of the books in her arms.

"Um, I was wondering," Bill started hesitantly. At Hermione's questioning glance, Bill continued. "Would you be willing to talk to Charlie and myself about Ron and Ginny? I know you were close to them. Working out of the country like we do, we don't have as many memories of the two of them from after we left the Burrow."

Hermione's smile faded, but she did nod in agreement.

"Listen, Hermione, I'm sorry. But you and Harry were the closest to Ron and as I understand it, you and Ginny became pretty close as well. I wouldn't ask except I really do want to know more about their time at Hogwarts."

"I can't say that I will enjoy the conversation, but you are right, Harry and I were close to them." Hermione put a half smile back on her face. "In payment, I hope you will explain to me how you got past the wards and opened the entrance to the Reserve."

When Robyn came looking for them an hour later Bill was surprised. It seemed the young woman was just as smart as the rest of the family had said she was. It had been a very pleasant change for Bill to speak with someone that could pick up the theory as easily and as quickly as Hermione had.

**Goblins **_**and**_** Curse Breakers**

"The _Tribus Praesieo_ is waiting for you," the Goblin guard had intoned as Harry, Luna, Bill Weasley, the Granger family, Amantha and Narcissa arrived at Gringotts. The large group had been intercepted just as they had entered and were now being escorted through the maze of tunnels to the expected meeting.

If anything, the room the group entered was even larger and more ornate than the room where Harry and Luna had first met with the sub-chief of Gringotts. The reason for the larger room became apparent as there were several Goblins present as well as the highly decorated _Tribus Praesieo_ they had met previously, who was also seated at the table.

"Oh my, Harry," Luna breathed. "We have come to the attention of the Goblin royalty."

"Take your places!" the _Tribus Praesieo_ said firmly. "All will be explained."

Bill did not sit with the humans, but rather approached a platform at the head of the table and gave an awkward kind of bow to one of the Goblins sitting there.

"Bill bowed, but never took his eyes from the Goblin he was acknowledging," Hermione whispered as she took her seat next to Harry. "I have read that is a common kind of greeting in some Far East cultures."

The door opened again, and Amelia, followed by both Thomas and Tonks, entered. Amelia also took in the change of leadership on the platform and gave the same kind of bow towards that table, before taking her own seat.

"Amantha, Thomas, Tonks, you may be excused from this room," Amelia said after she had taken her seat. "It is not proper for my guards to be in the room as the _Praesieo's_ guards are stationed outside."

Thomas, taking his cue from his boss' actions, gave the same funny bow to the table, and shepherded the other two Aurors from the room.

"Madam Bones, you have done_ The People_ and thus Gringotts honor by your actions," intoned the _Tribus Praesieo_ as he stood. "We thank you."

As the three Aurors left, four more people entered: Neville and Augusta Longbottom, followed by Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, who then took their own seats with Susan sitting between her aunt and Neville.

The _Tribus Praesieo_ then turned to Bill. "Who are you to stand with _The People__?"_

"William Weasley is a fully fledged curse breaker within our ranks," the Goblin that Bill had bowed towards responded. "He was granted family leave when his matriarch and two siblings died at the deathless one's hands. He properly notified me about the possibility that these have a need for his services as a curse breaker."

The _Tribus Praesieo_ nodded, and returned his attention the other humans in the room.

"It is rare indeed for _The People_ to take such an interest in the affairs of the Magical Humans. I will explain some of the intersections of fate that have caused this meeting," the _Tribus Praesieo_ said.

"Our _šamān_ has explained that the Lovegood seer has been actively pushing the present in a direction that is advantageous for Gringotts, and thus Gringotts has been supporting her and the people she has been supporting. Will the Lovegood seer and her anchor please rise and give your courtesy to_ The People_ and introduce your companions?"

Harry and Luna glanced at each other and then rose and copied the bow Bill had given towards the platform before Harry cleared his throat nervously. "I am Harry Potter. Um, I am the heir to the House of Potter and the anchor to Luna Lovegood, a Seer and the emancipated head of the House of Lovegood." Harry then indicated the trio to his left.

"On my other side is Hermione Granger, a classmate of mine, and next to her are her non-magical parents. They had intended to do other business at Gringotts while Luna and I attended to the business of possibly hiring a curse breaker."

Emboldened by the fact none of the Goblins seemed to be growing hostile, Harry continued going around the table introducing his companions. "This is Narcissa Black, the widow of the House of Malfoy. Amelia Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is seated next to Ms. Black. I believe Madam Bones is currently the head of the House of Bones, and she has requested that she be present during our attempts to hire a curse breaker. Next to Madam Bones is her niece, Susan Bones, heir to the House of Bones, and her friend Hannah Abbott. I do not know Hannah's relationship to the House of Abbott."

Harry then moved on to the Longbottoms. "Next is Neville Longbottom, heir to the House of Longbottom and head of the House of Black. Narcissa Black, Neville, and I were hoping to meet with the account managers for the House of Black about unrelated business after we were done trying to hire a curse breaker. Finally, next to Neville is his Grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, the current head of the House of Longbottom."

"You did that very well, Harry," Amelia said as she stood, while nodding to Harry and Luna to sit. Harry gave a huge sigh of relief as he and Luna sat back down.

Amelia then turned to address the platform. "We come to Gringotts in the hope that you can assist us in the destruction of the self-styled Lord Voldemort, the one your representative called 'the deathless one'."

The _Tribus Praesieo_ nodded and motioned for Amelia to sit, and then turned to talk in a low voice to the group of Goblins on the raised platform before again facing the humans.

"Is it known how the deathless one has escaped death?" he asked.

Amelia stood and answered for all of them. "Thanks to the Lovegood seer, we know the self styled Lord Voldemort had created six Horcruxes, or soul jars. As long as even one of these Horcruxes remains, the deathless one will not pass on."

"How may Gringotts assist with the destruction of these soul jars?" the_Tribus Praesieo_ asked.

"Thanks to the Lovegood seer, three of the six soul jars have been located and destroyed, but one of the remaining soul jars is hidden behind dangerous wards. The Lovegood seer and Potter heir are hoping to hire a curse breaker to neutralize these wards and so retrieve and destroy that soul jar," Amelia explained, before going on to explain why Gringotts' assistance was so important.

"Another of the soul jars has been hidden in a vault here at Gringotts, and I requested a meeting to determine if there is anything within the treaties between the Ministry of Magic and the Goblins that we could use to gain access to, and so destroy that soul jar."

"And the third remaining soul jar?"

"We hope to force the deathless one to use it at a ritual that will allow him to re-embody. The result of the ritual is that the soul jar will be consumed, leaving the deathless one mortal and weak for a lunar month. If this happens, we hope to be able to truly kill him before he is able to start creating new soul jars."

"You are to be congratulated, Madam Bones, the wording of your request did not give offense, and you seek to work within our treaties. It was your request to access a vault that brought you to the attention of _The People_."

"_The People_ must be the name of the ruling government for the Goblins," an awed Hermione whispered to Harry. "If Professor Binns is correct we are likely the first humans to see _The People_ since the last Goblin war was completed."

While Hermione was whispering this to Harry, Amelia nodded and retook her seat as _The People_ and the _Tribus Praesieo_ again spoke to each other in lowered voices for several minutes.

Then the _Tribus Praesieo_ again spoke to the humans gathered around the table. "Our _šamān_ have strongly suggested that we assist with your endeavors, so there will be no problem with the hiring of Mr. Weasley and others Mr. Weasley suggests, up to a full team of five curse breakers. But accessing the vault is a concern. Our treaties do not allow us the right to remove objects from a vault without a series of very public steps."

Narcissa surprised them all by standing and bowing towards the platform, waiting until the _Tribus Praesieo_ nodded, granting her permission to speak.

"There may yet be a way to access the soul jar. The Lovegood seer has said it rests in the personal vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. The Lestrange line has come to an end as both of the Lestrange brothers have died without issue, and so the contents of the vault will be given to one of three legal entities: Bellatrix's sister, Lucius Malfoy as designated by the Lestrange will, or the family of her birth."

Narcissa paused for a breath and took the figurative plunge. "I am both Bellatrix's sister, and, while I was not Lucius' wife when he died, I am still the person listed as inheriting the Malfoy estate, and the head of the House of Black is in the room with us. Could we not agree that no matter who will receive the contents of the vault in the future, we all agree that the soul jar can be removed at this time and be given to the Lovegood seer to be destroyed?"

The_ Tribus Praesieo_ motioned for Narcissa to sit and turned again to the platform holding the Goblin ruling body, where he spoke with them at great length, before again facing the humans. "Is there any way to guarantee that the ruling body of the Human Wizards will not seek damages against us if we were to agree to this unusual solution?"

Augusta stood, and motioned for Neville, Narcissa and Amelia to stand with her, before bowing and waiting to be recognized. After the _Tribus Praesieo_ had acknowledged the four, Augusta granted the Goblins the assurances they asked for. "It is not often that four individuals hold enough votes within the Wizengamot to make this guarantee, but in myself and these three, we hold enough proxies to make your requested guarantee. We have been talking about redistributing our proxies and votes, but I will promise not to do so until after any bills to punish the Goblins and Gringotts have been defeated."

"So let it be recorded!" exclaimed the _Tribus Praesieo._

The goblin beside Bill issued a couple of instructions, and Bill stuck his head out the door to pass those instructions on to the guards. Within minutes two additional goblins entered the room with parchment and quills.

The_ Tribus Praesieo_ turned to the Granger family and said, "You have additional business with Gringotts, and are not needed as we finalize these contracts. If you wish to leave, one of the guards will escort you to a teller where you can begin your business. If you finish your business before we have finished here, you will be provided with a comfortable location in which to wait."

Susan and Hannah were addressed next. "Heir of Bones, and heir of Abbott, you may remain if you wish, or you may be excused to a more comfortable location to wait."

"Hermione, would you and your family object if we followed you on your business?" Susan asked.

Hermione glanced at her parents, and after getting a nod from both, answered, "That will be fine, Susan. You and Hannah would be welcome, and will likely be able to help answer some questions we have."

The Grangers, together with Susan and Hannah, then left. While Amelia and Augusta worked on the wording of the two contracts being written, Harry, Neville and Narcissa huddled in one corner to talk about the properties Narcissa considered a fair trade for Grimmauld Place. Luna spoke with Bill about what she knew about a ring soul jar and what protections she felt were around the Gaunts' shack.

**Frying Shakespeare**

As the clan gathered for dinner that evening, everyone was excited about what had been accomplished. Blaise was finally feeling well enough to rejoin the training sessions, and both he and Tracey were looking forward to stretching their muscles and casting again in the morning; everyone except for Charlie and Daphne that is. The two of them had done little but bicker, and Bill could tell Charlie was becoming agitated. When Evan had to correct Daphne sharply twice she finally figured out that she was out of line and settled belligerently into her seat.

After dinner, Hermione escorted both Bill and Charlie back to the library, with all three of them trying to ignore the way Evan had firmly requested that Daphne stay at the table.

Hermione had just finished telling the Weasley brothers what she knew about Ron and Ginny's time at Hogwarts when Daphne quietly entered the room.

"Charlie, Mr. Granger has just pointed out to me how rude I have been towards you since you joined us here." Daphne quietly started her apology when Hermione, Bill, and Charlie noticed her in the doorway. "I am not sure what it is about you that rubbed me the wrong way so badly. I suspect it was the way you were able to duel me to a standstill, but that does not excuse my behavior tonight. I'm sorry, and I will try to moderate my behavior."

Charlie might not have accepted the olive branch being offered if Bill had not elbowed his younger brother. Thus prompted, Charlie shrugged and said, "I also did not enjoy not being able to win during our duel, and haven't been as polite as I could be. I will also try to modify my behavior."

Bill elbowed his brother again. "Oomph! Alright, I'm also sorry and accept your apology."

Once Daphne had joined Hermione in the couch, Bill searched for some topic that might allow the four to start a safe conversation.

"Hermione, can you tell us where your parents came up with your name?" Bill asked.

"Shakespeare, Bill," Hermione answered. "My Dad asked Mum to marry him after a performance of..."

"'A Midsummer Night's Dream'," Charlie interrupted, not noticing how both Bill and Hermione winced. "There was a character just like Hermione in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'."

"That was Hermia, not Hermione," huffed a disgruntled Hermione. "Hermia was a simple weak girl that kept running around trying to figure out why her lover suddenly loved someone else, and then just accepts it when Lysander professes to love her again."

"Actually, Hermione, you aren't like the Hermione in "The Winter's Tale" either," Bill interjected before his brother could open his mouth and make matters even worse. "I can't see you hiding for sixteen years, pretending to be a statue and giving up your daughter like she did."

Bill succeeded in shutting up his brother and bringing Hermione's rant to a full stop. Hermione gaped at Bill for a second before choking out a "Thanks?"

"Now Daphne could be a Katherine, or perhaps a Beatrice," Bill said, enjoying the conversation and befuddled expressions on both Charlie and Daphne.

"Not a Katherine," Hermione replied as she also became engaged in the conversation, Bill was proving that he was well read. "I could see a Beatrice, as long as you don't cast me as Hero."

"No, you are not a Hero, and Charlie isn't much of a Benedick."

"I say now, Bill..." Charlie tried to defend himself, but ended up in a temporary truce with Daphne as Hermione and Bill ignored both of them.

I think you are more of a Jennet Jourdemayne, although you might not like that comparison," continued Bill, totally enjoying a bit of intellectual debate.

"She isn't from Shakespeare, who is Jennet Jourdemayne?"

"Fry's 'The Lady's Not for Burning'," answered Bill. "At least Jennet was accused of actually being a witch, and while she actually wasn't a witch in the play, she was an intelligent, if eccentric young woman."

"Fry...Fry...Fry... Fry!" Hermione said, at first thinking through and then pouncing on the memory. "I liked that one. Didn't Jennet have a pheasant as a pet, and when one of the characters claimed to be reborn his mother responded with 'you always think you can do things better than your mother'?"

"Yes, that is the one," Bill replied. "Then that same mother gave a line that reminded me of my mother sometimes: 'One day I shall burst my bud of calm and blossom into hysteria'."

Un-noticed by either Bill or Hermione, Charlie and Daphne quietly crept from the library, both of them promising themselves to try and look up some of the too many names they had just been bombarded with.

"Thomas was quite the cynic as I recall," Hermione said.

"I so do not want to be the one that tells Luna what Thomas thought about the moon." Bill responded. "'Do you not know? ... The moon is nothing more than a circumambulating aphrodisiac, divinely subsidized to promote the world into a rising birthrate'".

"Not as poetic as Shakespeare, but just as likely to make up words I think," Hermione said giving her her judgment. "Bill, how do you know so much about the non-magical fine arts?"

"There is a lot of down time when you are on a site." Bill answered. "My first assignment had me so bored I was reading whatever I could find."

**References:**

Christopher Fry:  
The Lady's Not for Burning (written in the late 1940's).

Shakespeare:  
A Midsummer Night's Dream,  
Taming of the Shrew,  
Much Ado About Nothing  
A Winter's Tale.

**Note:** here are some additional quotes from 'The Lady's Not for Burning' that I didn't get into the tale, but I enjoy.

What, after all, is a halo? It's only one more thing to keep clean. -Thomas Mendip,

What is official  
Is incontestable. It undercuts  
The problematical world and sells us life  
At a discount. (Does not this sound like Fudge?)


	18. Chapter 17: Assembling the pieces

**Chapter 17: Assembling the pieces**

**Super Daddy Sense**

Evan got out of bed and put on his robe. Something wasn't quite right, he was sure of it. Evan was a bit worried about Daphne and had not enjoyed having to come down on her the way he had and so he had been paying attention to the sounds in the hallway. Evan was sure Daphne hadn't made it to her room. That door made a very distinctive sound when it opened. But Evan also knew Hermione hadn't made it to her room as her room was just next the one he and Robyn shared.

A quick check in each room confirmed it; neither of the girls was in their beds. Evan headed down the stairs toward the main floor of the house.

Evan found Daphne first, and she had worked herself up to a fine rage, but the person she was raging about was Bill, and the person she was raging at was Charlie. Both of the young adults were fully dressed in the same clothes they had worn to dinner with no evidence that the two of them had engaged in any of the normal body contact sports young men and women sometimes played. Evan would not tell either of them this, but he fully expected that these two would be engaging in some of those contact sports sometime in the future; the tension between the two of them was so palpable it could almost be seen.

While Evan was glad Charlie and Daphne were not at each other's throats, it did not explain why Daphne was raging about Bill.

"What did Bill do to you, Daphne?" Evan asked aloud, startling both Daphne and Charlie.

"He called me a shrew!" Daphne exclaimed before she realized who she had just shouted at. Evan watched as the rage that shrouded Daphne dropped away with an almost audible thump.

"I'm sorry, Dad Granger, I didn't mean to shout at you."

"I haven't seen you quite so worked up before, Daphne, and you were not shouting about me, so don't worry about it," Evan said as he crossed over to the young woman and wrapped her in a hug.

"I told you to make up to Charlie, and it looks like you have started in that direction, so we are good. But why would Bill call you a shrew?"

The way Daphne was shaking in his arms told Evan a lot. She had been very worried he would not ever hug her again. As if he had needed more evidence, Evan knew she had come from a strict household, not an affectionate one.

While Daphne tried to compose herself, Evan looked over Charlie. "Can you fill me in, Charlie?"

"Right after Daphne apologized to me, Bill asked about Hermione's name, and I made the mistake of saying I thought it came from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'."

Evan nodded, sure that his daughter had not taken kindly to that mistake.

"Well, Hermione was quite offended, but before I could make it worse, Bill pointed out that Hermione wasn't really like the character named Hermione in one of the other plays by Shakespeare, and the two of them then started a discussion about characters I have never heard about."

"Bill said I might be a Katherine or a … What was the other character, Charlie?" Daphne said as she stopped shaking but wrapped her arms around Evan in a very tight hug.

"Beatrice, Daphne, Bill said Beatrice. But he said that I wouldn't make a good Benedick, and that Hermione wasn't a Hero, which made no sense, as Hermione could easily be considered a hero."

"Charlie and I escaped when the two of them started talking about a Jennet and a pheasant, and came here to look up some of what they were talking about."

"Jennet? I don't recall a Jennet." Evan mused.

"Bill did say she was someone that was accused of being a witch but wasn't. There was something about a flower called hysteria, but the two of them were so intent on each other by then that we were able to escape. Anyway the only name we were able to find that they mentioned was Katherine, and she is the title character…"

"In 'The Taming of the Shrew'," Evan finished for Charlie before looking down at Daphne. "Daphne, what can you tell me about how you have appeared to Bill since he and Charlie found their way to the Reserve?"

"Sir?" Daphne queried, holding Evan even tighter. She was sure he was going to pull away from her.

"Charlie, Benedick and Beatrice came from Shakespeare's play 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Why don't you research that in the morning, but for now, could you let Daphne and I talk?"

"Sir, I'm not…that is…" Charlie stuttered, sure that he shouldn't leave Daphne to face Mr. Granger's wrath.

"I'm not mad at any of you, Charlie, go on to bed."

"Yes, Sir," Charlie responded. Evan Granger could even make the twins behave, Charlie was sure of it. But how Evan could command like he did while not being a strict disciplinarian Charlie had no clue. "Daphne, I hope we can continue our research in the morning. Goodnight, Daphne, Mr. Granger."

Evan waited till Charlie had left the room and had disappeared down the hall before turning his attention to Daphne.

"Daphne, why are you so scared?" Evan asked her. He was pretty sure he knew, but she needed to say it before he could help.

"I made you mad at me, and now Bill thinks I'm a shrew, which will just convince you to be mad at me even more," Daphne cried into Evan's shoulder.

The dam had burst and Evan was glad. Evan guided the two of them to the loveseat and sat down, maneuvering Daphne onto his lap like she was a five year old instead of a young woman. Then Evan let her cry; the healing had started.

- - (()) - -

Robyn came down looking for Evan a short time later, and found him acting like a Father Confessor to an incredibly happy Daphne Greengrass, and for a change, Daphne did not want to transfer to Robyn, but wanted to be near both of them. It seemed Evan had managed to break through to the mostly aloof young woman. Daphne had been on a hair trigger since letting Hermione down, and while she and Hermione had reconciled, Daphne had been sure the adult Grangers would not ever forgive her for hurting their daughter.

After a few minutes of allowing Daphne to soak up affection from both of them, Evan transferred Daphne to Robyn and continued his search for Hermione, and, likely, Bill.

Evan found them in one of the work rooms, and, thankfully, they also showed no signs of having engaged in any body contact sports. Instead they were neck deep in a discussion about magical shields with several books open and piled on top of each other on more than one of the small tables that were scattered around the room.

Evan sighed as he watched the two of them for a minute. It seemed Hermione had found a match for her intellect, and, based on his knowledge of Shakespeare, Bill had knowledge in a large number of subjects. Bill was older than Evan was comfortable with for someone that would likely be courting his daughter, but Bill seemed to be a trustworthy young man. He could have done the curse breaking Luna wanted on the sly, but instead, Bill had done the right thing and notified his bosses. And Bill was observant, Evan was sure Bill knew he was at the doorway, and Severus had told Evan how Bill had figured out Luna was a seer based on conversation only.

"Okay, you two," Evan said announcing his presence, and, as he expected, Bill showed no surprise while Hermione jumped at the sudden sound of her father's voice. "It is no longer late, it is early morning, and we all have a full day ahead of us. Bill, are you going to try and break down the wards around the Horcrux later today?

"No, Mr. Granger, I plan to only look over the lay of the land. I expect it will be a day or so before I will be ready to start breaking down those wards," Bill answered. "And I promise I will have a good full night's sleep before I do start."

Evan nodded; Bill knew exactly what he had really been asking without any doubt. "You both need to call it a night. Hermione, I do not want to have come up with a way to lock away your books…again."

"Yes, Daddy."

And, just like Bill, Hermione also knew that he was really saying she wasn't getting enough sleep. It startled Evan sometimes when Blaise or Tracey needed to have Evan explain the deeper meaning of his words. Luna picked up the meanings like Hermione did while Harry and Daphne were somewhere in between. Some things they would pick up and some things they missed.

"Goodnight you two. You won't be able to sleep well, so sleep fast."

**Demonstrations**

"Thomas!"

All of the people sitting around the breakfast table jumped at the unexpected floo call and the even more unexpected urgency in Amantha's voice.

"Amantha? Amantha, what's wrong? Are you under attack?" Thomas asked as he ran over to the fireplace.

"Thomas, you need to bring Madam Bones over here right now! She needs to see this! You need to see this! Oh My!"

"Amantha? Can you help me with this?" Thomas heard a faint voice on the other side of the floo connection. He was pretty sure it was Robyn, and there was no urgency in Robyn's voice.

"Coming," Amantha answered Robyn before returning to Thomas. "Thomas, I can't believe what I'm seeing. This is important! Please hurry!" With that, the green flames in the fireplace died.

"What in the world?" Arthur asked in a confused tone. "Does this happen often?"

"We receive emergency calls pretty regularly, Mr. Weasley," Susan answered the man she and her aunt had invited to breakfast. "But this is the first time that Amantha has called like that."

"And Amantha is not someone that gets that excited by much," Amelia added. "Susan, do you want to come with us to see Hermione and the others?"

"Yes please, Auntie."

"Arthur?"

"I haven't been invited to this Reserve, Amelia."

"Based on what Amantha has reported, your two eldest are staying there, so I think I can invite you along," Amelia answered. "It is the weekend, which is why we are having a late breakfast, and you are not to go into the Ministry today for any reason, which I am sure you would if I don't keep you otherwise busy."

Amelia looked her little group over. "Tonks, you have rearguard. Thomas, we are all dressed, and Amantha wanted us there five minutes ago. Let's go."

– – (()) – –

"But you can't do that!"

"It's impossible!"

"I don't believe it!"

"How?"

"Duck!"

As one, the newly arrived contingent from the Bones house fell to the floor as an oddly colored spell whipped over their heads before stopping and heading in a different direction.

"Thomas, Tonks, you start shielding us," Amelia said as she stood and helped Arthur back to his feet. Susan, being younger, had already risen to her feet although she was crouching and looking around wildly.

The room they were looking at was a war zone, with what seemed to be two sides to the fight. Blaise, Tracey, and Daphne were weaving, dodging and casting madly at Luna, Harry and Hermione, who were also weaving, dodging and casting with the same vigor.

What caught the attention of the watchers, however, was the totally unexpected behavior of the spells the teens were casting. All of the spells were a light purple, and they zigged, they zagged, and one actually seemed to come to a complete stop before climbing straight up and then plummeted down in a curved arc that nearly hit Luna. If the blond had not ducked and then rolled to her left it would have hit her.

Above the combatants, Charlie, Bill and Severus were riding broomsticks but not casting at all, while Amantha was controlling what could only be called a flying carpet and was following the verbal instructions of Robyn who was seated behind her. Evan was higher yet, standing on a platform that jutted out from the wall, with his head grazing the ceiling.

"Oh my!" Amelia breathed. "Amantha was right. I really needed to see this. These kids have just re-written the book on magical combat!"

"TWEEEET!"

All six of the kids froze where they were, and the spells that had been active all stopped and then disappeared with quiet pops.

Amantha guided her carpet up to Evan and once he was seated next to Robyn, flew them all down to the ground, while all of the broom mounted wizards also landed.

"Gather around, you six," Evan ordered once he and Robyn were standing on the ground again.

"Blue team, six points. Both Luna and Hermione were tagged three times each. No one was able to tag Harry. Red team, eight points..."

Luna, Harry and Hermione all gave big smiles with Luna and Hermione bouncing on their toes and bumping shoulders together in victory.

"… Both Blaise and Tracey were tagged three times and Daphne was tagged twice," Evan finished while ignoring the actions of the kids. "All of you managed to tag at least one person."

All of the combatants smiled at that, and Harry cuffed Hermione's shoulder in congratulations.

"Blaise."

The young man hunched his shoulders, as if he knew what was coming.

"I know you are having trouble seeing, so you are excused for the rest of the day. Your head is not up to this kind of exercise yet; you scored only once, and that was right at the beginning," Evan announced.

"Tracey."

Tracey looked over to Evan while hugging Blaise.

"I noticed that when Blaise began to visibly fade you started working at protecting him. You did a very good job of protecting Blaise, but were unable to fight offensively while defending Blaise."

Tracey nodded in acknowledgment.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, Tracey, but it left your team's offensive output to Daphne. In the future, I will be sure to mention if you all are to defend a flagging team mate."

Tracey again nodded.

"Daphne."

Daphne looked up from the floor she had been glaring at since hearing the other team had outscored her team.

"That was a very clever attack against Luna at the end. If the time limit had not been reached, it is possible that you would have been able to tag her again. But you do need watch out for multiple attacks, you get too focused on only one thing."

Daphne nodded, and the glare turned thoughtful.

"Hermione."

Hermione looked at her dad anxiously.

"You are the most improved, but that is to be expected as you have only just started joining the teams in the combat exercises. You managed one tag, but you were tagged three times. You need to work on your awareness. You need to ignore the observers; you glanced up every time a broom flew over you."

Hermione nodded and grinned at Harry when he bumped shoulders with her, just like Luna had moments ago.

"Luna."

Luna looked over to Evan after watching Hermione's and Harry's celebration fondly.

"You need to work on dodging and being aware of the cover around you. Twice you dodged away from cover. If you had dodged into the covered area the spell would have contacted the cover and the caster would have had to re-cast."

Luna frowned in thought and then nodded.

"Harry."

Harry looked over to Evan.

"You managed to avoid being tagged, and you have the highest number of tags against the opposing team. What you need to work on is your control. It seemed like half of your spells ran against obstacles, forcing you to re-cast instead of allowing your spell to swoop in for another attempt. I know that some of those were caused while you were forced to dodge, but some of those misses weren't."

Evan then turned to the newcomers. "We have some unexpected guests. Amelia, I didn't expect you today. I know Thomas and Susan, but who else did you bring?"

"Dad!" Charlie exclaimed when he saw Arthur, running over to his father with an unsurprised Bill following.

"As Charlie has just announced, this is Arthur Weasley, and this is junior Auror Tonks, who has joined my protection detail while Amantha is acting as your liaison. We showed up unexpectedly because Amantha called us in a state of shock earlier and wanted me here to see your practice."

"Amantha?" Robyn queried the young woman.

"Madam Bones needed to see this, Mrs. Granger. She really did. This kind of performance is one of the reasons I was asked to be a liaison here. You have no idea how many old accepted rules about magical combat you have destroyed!"

"That is right, Amantha." Amelia supported her young Auror, before she turned to Robyn. "I know you are all working towards the death of Voldemort, but just as soon as you accomplish that task, I have every intention of pumping Luna's clan for the spells you have developed. The Ministry will be paying you for the development of all of your creations, and I cannot tell you how impressed I am at what I just saw."

"Dad Granger?" Harry ventured.

"Yes, Harry?"

"It really would be better if all six of us practiced as two coordinated teams, instead of practicing against each other. Maybe between the Weasleys, Neville, Susan, Hannah, Severus, Narcissa, and possibly Amantha and Tonks, we will have enough other people to oppose us so that we can practice as a clan while still only using people that we feel we can trust..."

"Madam Bones?" Luna spoke quietly to Amelia while Harry was speaking to Evan.

"Luna, I recall I asked you to call me Aunt," Amelia replied trying to listen to both conversations at the same time.

"You did, but I am talking to the head of the DMLE this time," Luna replied, which focused Amelia's attention solely on her.

"You mentioned that your Aurors are to be a part of the operation when Bill goes after the Horcrux, and he has said that he will be picking up another two curse breakers and starting the work late this afternoon."

"Will he succeed?"

"I don't know, Auntie Bones." Luna used the new name, trying it out in her mind and seeing how it rolled off her tongue. "Since he asked that I be there, I will be too close to see what is going to happen. I know Amantha and Thomas have asked several other Aurors to be there, as per your instructions."

Luna paused to put her thoughts in order. "But last night I saw a chance that Death Eaters might show up while Bill is working on the Horcrux's defenses. I think it might be a good idea for you to be there as well, which will add a couple more wands."

After glancing at Amelia's impassive face, Luna hurriedly continued. "Blaise's performance today means he isn't ready yet, so Harry will be asking Hermione to stay behind to work on teaching Blaise some of the field healing she has learned. You and your protection team can make up for our loss."

"What are you leading up to here, Luna?"

"Bill has said he is very comfortable about getting the Horcrux today. But with the Death Eaters showing up while we are getting the ring, Tom is going to know that we are searching for his soul jars, and he is going to be ready for us to attack at the ritual."

Luna hunched her own shoulders against her visions.

"It is going to be a much tougher fight than I had originally hoped. Tom is going to bring in every single resource he can manage as guards. Tom will know the battle is coming, and he will be ready for us."

Amelia took Luna's hand, both in support and to pull her back into the present. Luna looked down at that hand holding hers and she felt Susan come over to support her, and she gave both of the Bones a wan grin as she changed the subject away from her visions of death.

"The actions of you, the Goblins and the Wizengamot have come together in a totally unexpected manner. I fully expected that my clan would need to kill Tom no less than four times. But now, we should be able to finish it with just one more battle after today."

"What were the keys that lead to the ritual being the final fight, Luna?" Susan asked.

"The biggest one was Narcissa," Luna replied. "Her willingness to work with you against the beliefs that she grew up with, which were the same beliefs of her husband, made the biggest change."

"I will tell Narcissa that she has earned her pardon then," joked Amelia, which drew a less tentative grin from Luna as she continued tracing the biggest changes to the timeline.

"Neville thinking of having your Aurors present when he reclaimed those houses made the second biggest change. Those thirty-six Death Eaters that were either killed or captured and then thrown through the veil, destroyed a huge part of Tom's mid-level leadership. That lack of leadership meant that on the day Tom tried to destroy the will of magical Britain, most of his teams were acting independently. They didn't have the discipline to act as a unit, and they couldn't be bothered to actually attack at the times they were scheduled."

Luna then actually smiled at Amelia for the next key change.

"Your personal willingness to not run for Minister and to listen to what your people were saying made a huge difference at the funeral. If you hadn't been ready for a large strike, or if Thomas hadn't seen the owls, or if you hadn't acted on Thomas' sighting by starting to bring in your Aurors early, there would have been many more deaths at the funeral, including at least one from my clan, and likely two."

Then Luna smiled at her rock and anchor as he was talking to Blaise and Hermione.

"Harry keeping me sane can't be discounted. Without him to help me think through some of the issues, and Harry came up with some of the plans to help with the wrinkles we have needed to face, I would have likely gone off and pushed for a short term solution, which would have hurt us in the long run."

While Luna was speaking to Amelia with Susan listening, Evan gathered Arthur, Severus, Amantha and Thomas together to explore the possibility of a larger practice force. Harry pulled Blaise and Hermione aside. "Blaise, you aren't ready, and you know it. If you came on today's mission, you could cause someone to be hurt or killed."

Blaise started to object, but then hung his head and nodded. "You are right, but I can't help but feel I'm letting Luna down."

"You're not letting Luna or any of our clan down," Harry said firmly before turning to Hermione. "You are ready, and you have worked very hard to be ready, but Luna and I want you to stay with Blaise."

"But!"

"Luna is sure that we have a much bigger fight ahead of us, which is why I am trying to get a larger number of people for us to practice against. We aren't going to go into this last fight as two teams, but as a clan with two coordinated teams. You, Hermione, will be there, and you, Blaise, will also be there, but, Blaise, don't think that you are going to be resting today. Hermione is staying behind so she can start teaching you the field healing she has learned. That way each of the teams has someone that can do some healing."

Blaise had long ago, mentally given Luna and Harry an oath of obedience. They had never asked for one, but Blaise had promised himself that he would obey them, so he nodded, agreeing with the plan. Hermione looked disappointed, but what Harry was saying made sense; it would be better to have two people ready to do some healing. Harry had said her hard work had been noticed, and was paying off, so she also nodded and went to stand by Blaise, and the two of them wandered towards the small workroom Hermione had set up as a care station.

Harry returned to where Luna and Amelia were talking just in time to hear Luna praise his abilities as an anchor.

"And none of it would be possible if Luna wasn't willing to try and steer our course for us," Harry couldn't help but remark.

"Bill!" Amelia called out to the Weasley heir. "Bill, I need you over here, please."

"Do you remember me telling you that we could help keep your clan safe, Luna?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, Auntie Bones, but..."

"But what, Luna?"

"If you bring more Aurors, we will have to fight more Death Eaters."

"And that is a bad thing why, Luna?"

"More of the Aurors will die."

"What about the Death Eaters? Won't more of them die or be captured as well?"

"Well, yes, Ma'am," a subdued Luna answered.

"Yes, Madam Bones?" Bill asked as he joined the group.

"Luna believes there is a very good chance that you will be attacked while trying to get the Horcrux, Bill. You have been to the site and I haven't; would there be anywhere we could hide some Aurors to surprise the Death Eaters when they try to surprise you?"

Bill thought for a moment and then nodded while saying, "Yes, there are, and I can request some Goblin guards if we expect an attack."

"Please do so." Amelia nodded to Bill, then turned back to Luna. "Luna, we know there is a major fight coming, and Tom is going to be marshaling everyone that he can. It makes good sense to try and cut down some of that force beforehand. Every Death Eater we can neutralize before the ritual is a Death Eater that won't be helping to protect Tom later."

"But, Auntie Bones, the killing curses. I have seen fields full of the killing curses." Luna shuddered into Harry waiting arms.

"Then we work at dealing with the killing curses, Luna," Amelia replied, not at all worried about the image that had Luna so upset. "You can't have actually seen the fight since you are going to be there as well, and while I am an old dog, I can learn new tricks."

Amelia turned to Thomas. "Thomas, contact the ready room. I'm calling up four full teams, and see if the Department of Mysteries can call up some hit wizards for us."

Amelia then turned to Susan. "Sue, I asked you to set up a method of contacting your friends and classmates after the funeral. Go and contact them now. Any minors require the permission of their guardians to help during the fight, but even the minors can be used to teach us those spells they used at the funeral to block the killing curses."

"Mr. Granger, would you be so kind as to help Bill and I plan a surprise for the Death Eaters?" Amelia said as she turned to Evan. "You have tried to stay firmly in the background. But right now, I need your tactical mind."

Amelia waited for a slow count of five and then barked. "Well, move people!"

**The Ring**

"Here it is, Luna," a disheveled Bill said as he handed the blonde a small cloth bag. "I hope it was worth it."

The firefight Luna had seen had been, vicious leaving one of Bill's fellow curse breakers dead, and the rest of them hurt to varying degrees.

"It is, Bill. I'm sorry about your friend," Harry replied as he limped up to the group. He had just finished bringing Hermione and Blaise from the Reserve to help treat the wounded.

"Don't put the ring on, it has a nasty curse on it as well." Bill nodded to the bag. "I won't be able to work on that for at least a couple of days, and would need to okay my doing that with the Goblins to see if it was included in your hire."

"Bill!"

Luna, Bill, and Harry turned to see Hermione running up to them.

"Are you hurt? If so, how badly?"

Bill was about to snap that she should be treating his fellow curse breaker when he glanced over and saw Severus and Blaise already working over him. Bill took a deep breath and tried to calm himself and then was surprised as Hermione didn't really stop, and gently slipped her arms around him.

"Harry let us know mostly about who was hurt, but he had left to get us before he found out how you had fared. If you aren't badly hurt, I will move on to someone else." Hermione sighed when he slipped his own arms around her to return the hug. "Severus and I think your fellow curse breaker will be fine, he is mostly just exhausted and has a couple of broken ribs, but nothing life threatening. Thomas was the next badly hurt, but Amantha hasn't let us near enough to him to actually start treating him. Amelia has Tonks' injuries under control and the other Aurors have summoned help. Tee has taken Daphne back to the Reserve where Mom can treat her since her injuries were external cuts and can be bandaged."

"Charlie is at the Reserve as well, and will help with the treatment," Luna added. "Maybe they can be civil long enough for him to help her."

"Harry took Dad back to the Reserve when he came to get Blaise and me. Dad can keep the two of them civil," Hermione stated. "I have no idea how he does it, but watching him lead those two around each other has been eye-opening."

"Harry, if Hermione can pry herself from Bill, why don't you go help her pry Amantha from Thomas?" Luna said with the first smile she had given since the start of the fight.

"Hermione can pry herself from me in just a second," Bill responded looking over to the now blushing young lady holding him gently.

"I think you and I will need to talk a bit later, Hermione," Bill said, and then he gave her an extra squeeze before releasing her. "My injuries can wait, I want to check up on Marcus. I thought he was more severely injured than you reported, and with Kent dead I was worried what my bosses were going to say." With that Bill started down towards where Severus and Blaise were working.

"Uhh," Hermione blushed even more fiercely before Harry and then Luna both also hugged her. "It's okay, Hermione, let's go check on Thomas, and Luna wants to check on Tonks."

"Harry...Harry's...," Hermione started a couple of times before shaking her head and trying again. "Harry told me you weren't badly hurt, Luna, but how are you doing really?"

"Harry saved me from being hurt too badly using that shield you and Bill researched. My hurts are mostly emotional, as I did not expect Bill's friend, Kent, to take that killing curse. I'm going to need to cry tonight." As Luna explained, the three of them had started over to join Amantha, Thomas, Amelia and Tonks. "While I expect Harry will be busy with Amantha, I'm hoping your mom will be willing to be my crying towel."

"I..."

"You will be having that talk with Bill, Hermione," Luna stated. "I think you should give both yourself and Bill a chance."

– – (()) – –

"Do you have a report yet?" Amelia asked the Auror she had pressed into service to help her coordinate the post battle chaos.

"Another twenty-five Death Eaters have been killed with only four captured, Ma'am. We think only five managed to get away," the Auror responded. "We lost three Aurors; only one to the killing curse, but two died of their injuries during the fight. Another three Aurors have been hurt badly enough to require a stay at St. Mungo's. The Goblin force tells me that one of their warriors died, and one of the curse breakers didn't dodge a killing curse and so he died as well; they wouldn't tell me how many were badly hurt.

None of the curse-blockers we deployed were even hurt. Mr. Granger's idea of having a second level of curse-blockers made the difference there. The Auror you had stationed with them reported that he commanded that team with distinction."

Amelia nodded, and issued new orders. "Get the team leads to start transporting the curse-blockers away. Some of them are minors, so make sure we have some mind healers talk to them in the next several days. They made a huge difference."

"That they did," the Auror responded. "A fight like this would have seen at least ten dead and half of the rest of us badly hurt in the past, and no more than five of the Death Eaters would have been killed." The Auror left to carry out his orders and Amelia turned to Tonks who was sitting on the ground and nursing an injured arm. "You did well, Junior Auror, but next time, you need to dodge the curse aimed at you as well as block the curse aimed at me."

"Yes, boss."

"You will learn, Tonks. Amantha, you need to release Thomas long enough for the healers work on him."

– – (()) – –

Luna completed her thought as her clan re-entered her house."...Hermione taught you well, Blaise. You were a help after only a couple of hours training."

"Hermione has turned in to a pretty good teacher," Blaise responded, "but I do want to issue the same complaint she did. Luna, the next time you ask me to learn something, please give me a bit more time!"

"There you are!" Robyn exclaimed as she jumped up from the chair she had been sitting in and rushed over to _her_ kids and family. "Evan said you were not badly hurt, but I need to see for myself."

"You tell me, are you all okay!" Robyn said as she took each one of them by the shoulders and looked them over before giving them a hug, including a surprised Amantha, and an even more surprised Severus.

Each of the hugged, except for Luna, smiled and affirmed that they were only slightly injured. Luna just nodded and as soon as Robyn had hugged all of them, Luna re-attached herself to Robyn. "Mum Granger, I'm not hurt, but I am going to need a crying towel though."

"Of course, Luna," Robyn said, glancing worriedly towards Harry.

"I need to be someone else's crying towel tonight, Mum Granger," Harry answered the silent query. "Amantha, do you want a sleeping potion for later?"

At Amantha's nod Harry gently led the young woman towards the potions cabinet.

"What happened to Thomas?" Robyn asked while Amantha was out of easy hearing.

"He was hurt, and while he will recover, I expect he will be confined to his bed for several days at least. But when Amantha suggested that she watch Thomas, Madam Bones vetoed the idea. So Thomas will not be joining us for the next several days," Luna answered Robyn's question.

"I expect Amantha will be asked to resign from the Aurors shortly," Severus said quietly into the silence. "She was totally unable to act professionally during the aftermath of the fight."

"And I'm not sure what Thomas will do either," Luna said. "I don't know that Amantha would be able to stand it if Thomas remained an Auror, but I also don't know how committed Thomas is to Amantha."

Robyn nodded and promised herself to speak with the young woman in the morning if she couldn't rearrange who was crying on whom tonight.

"How is Daphne?" Blaise asked as Robyn gave Amantha another hug as she and Harry rejoined the group.

"Bemused," Robyn answered.

"Huh?"

"Evan can explain... they are all in the great room."

– – (()) – –

The clan was struck dumb by the sight of Daphne curled up asleep against Charlie's side.

"What?" Blaise asked for all of them.

"Hermione, Charlie read up on the Shakespeare we suggested," Evan started to explain. "Daphne was bitching about her injuries and that Charlie was seeing a bit more of her than she wanted what with where some of cuts on her body were. Charlie put up with it all until the cuts were all healed and then quoted Shakespeare himself."

"Peace, I shall stop your mouth," Charlie interjected.

"Did you then kiss her, brother?" Bill asked while Hermione leaned against him and laughed.

"Yes, and to my real surprise, she kissed me back."

"I may have to take it back, Charlie," Hermione said when she could control herself. "You are more of a Benedick than I thought."

"At least I am a Beatrice now, and not a Katherine," a groggy Daphne said from Charlie's side, Hermione's laughter having disturbed her nap.

While most of Luna's clan settled in to discuss the day, four members made their way quietly upstairs. Robyn somehow managed to gather Amantha and the sleeping potion from Harry, which left the Lovegood seer and her anchor to seek the comfort of Harry's bedroom. All of the quartet were actually pleased with this change, and Harry promised himself to thank Robyn in the morning. Even with Luna crying, time spent with his love was something to be cherished.

– – (()) – –

Hermione looked down at the floor, then over to the bookcase, and then over to the fireplace, looking anywhere other than at the young man that had shepherded her into her favorite room.

"Hermione, look at me," Bill finally requested.

Embarrassed and blushing, Hermione looked over at the man who had had caught her fancy.

"Hermione, I was pleased that you were worried about me today..." Bill started.

"...but you think I'm too young and immature," Hermione ended dejectedly.

"I think we don't know enough about each other yet," Bill corrected. "I won't deny that I'm attracted to you, and I think it's obvious that you feel the same attraction for me, but we've spent more time researching spells and studying magic theory together than we have getting to know each other. I need to know more about you than I do so far before we decide if we should start to date."

"How do you learn about someone if not on a date, Bill?" Hermione asked. She was pleased she had not been shot down, so to speak, and that Bill had admitted he was attracted to her, but she was not sure what Bill wanted.

"We make a promise to each other that tomorrow night we won't open a book at all during our evening discussion. And unless there is some kind of emergency, we won't talk about spell theory. Instead we'll talk about some of our childhood memories and dreams..."

Evan turned away from the doorway with a very pleased sigh. He had not exactly been spying on his daughter; he did have a book that needed to be re-shelved in this room. But Evan had been concerned. Hermione was showing signs that she had gone beyond crushing on Bill, and Evan was still far from comfortable with how much older Bill was compared to his daughter. However, after overhearing the couple's conversation, Evan was convinced that Bill was not taking advantage of Hermione. He would take a 'wait and see attitude', and if Bill and Hermione were still attracted to each other after spending some time getting to know each other on an emotional level rather than just an intellectual one, then he would accept the young man.

**Changing of the guard**

"Good afternoon, Minister," Amelia said as she sat in the chair the newly elected Minister indicated.

"Madam Bones," Octavius responded. "I have to admit I never expected to be able to actually sit in this chair."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Octavius, Amelia, you can call me Octavius. But yes, I wanted to see you. I understand you had a major battle yesterday, and I am hearing some rumors that you allowed some children to attend the fight."

"Minors, Octavius, not children. I also made use of several young adults who were not minors, but also were not a part of the Ministry."

"How many non-Ministry people were killed, Amelia?"

"None of the people you were asking about were hurt beyond some scrapes and cuts, Octavius. Although I have requested that mind healers contact each of them to see if there are any post battle issues they might be facing."

"None?"

"None."

"How did you manage that?"

"Do you remember at the funeral, how some of Ron and Ginny's friends took it upon themselves to help?"

"Well, no, actually I didn't pay much attention to any of the young adults."

"You should have. They made a huge difference in that fight, and some of those same people, along with the tactics they came up with, made a huge difference in the fight we had yesterday."

"Amelia, I can't accept non-Ministry people fighting in planned battles," Octavius said, making his position clear. "But I know your forces have been undermanned for a long time, and I am therefore authorizing you to expand the number of your Aurors."

"We don't have time for that, Octavius," Amelia responded. "Yes, we have needed more Aurors for a very long time. But we won't have enough time to train any new recruits in the new tactics." Amelia paused and then drawing her wand, she started adding to the already impressive secrecy wards in the office.

Once her wand was back in its holster, Amelia faced the bemused Minister again. "I have already told you that we are close, Octavius. But due to some choices made by others, it is possible we will be able to finish with You-Know-Who within a month. But he also now knows that we are after him, and he will be prepared for us when we attack."

"I'm sure you, of all people, would know you should attack at a different time then," Octavius mused. "What haven't you told me yet? Or can't you tell me?"

"You-Know-Who is currently in a half dead state, and will be performing a ritual to revive himself," Amelia admitted after a moment's thought. "We can't actually kill him until the ritual is complete, but based on what the Unspeakables, and other sources, have been able to tell me, while he will be weak right after the ritual, he will also start regaining his strength very quickly."

Octavius nodded his understanding of what Amelia had said.

"We don't have a wizard or witch with the strength to match even a weakened You-Know-Who one-on-one, Octavius. We need to bring him down before he can gather a new core of lieutenants, and regain his strength."

"What about Harry Potter?" Octavius asked. "Everyone seems to think that he is the one to kill You-Know-Who."

"Harry Potter was at the fight yesterday, Octavius. He and several of his friends were the minors and non-Ministry personnel that took part in the fight, and he will be at the fight to bring down Tom."

"Tom?"

"Voldemort's real name was Tom Riddle. Harry and his friends find calling him Tom or Tommy makes him less of a figure of awe."

"Tom then. Amelia, please continue with your briefing."

"Harry is a strong wizard, I have seen him in action, but he is still not at his full growth magically, and he doesn't match up to Tom one-on-one. Since Tom knows we are coming, it wouldn't be a duel anyway."

"So to summarize: you can't kill him before the ritual; you don't want him to have a chance to recover his strength after the ritual; and, finally, he knows we want to get him during the ritual. What's to keep this Tom from performing the ritual early?"

"The ritual is tied to one of the phases of the moon, Octavius. If he waits, Tom would then need to wait for another full lunar month."

"Ah!"

"Which brings us back to not having the time to train new recruits before the fight."

"Yes, Amelia, it does," Octavius said, while weighing what Amelia had said against what she hadn't said. "What do you want or need from me, Amelia?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to want to be able to handle this fight much like we handled the fight yesterday, Octavius," Amelia replied, hardly believing Octavius had even asked that.

"I am concerned about that, Amelia. Can you at least talk to me beforehand, and work to keep any minors from the worst of the fighting?"

"I am willing to keep you briefed on what and who will be involved just before the fight but there is something else I am going to want."

"What is that, Amelia?"

"Dumbledore."

"Huh?"

"Albus Dumbledore is having fits about the fact that the Aurors have been doing more killing then arresting of the Death Eaters. He is going to try and cuff me and my people by pushing through some new rules of engagement that won't allow my forces to react with deadly force."

"I am very aware that you have cooled towards our Chief Warlock..."

Amelia interrupted the new Minister, "Actually, Octavius, he is not the Chief Warlock."

"What?"

"Nor is he the Headmaster of the Hogwarts, although we have been treating him as if he were both for years," Amelia continued.

Octavius stared at Amelia for a moment, then he smiled. "I remember now, Augusta mentioned that Albus should take the oath of office for the Chief Warlock position..."

"And that if not the Chief Warlock's oath, he would need to take the oath as Headmaster of Hogwarts," Amelia finished for Octavius. "Both oaths can't be taken by the same person as the same time. I am sure Albus is trying very hard to keep from swearing either oath, and to continue as the ruler-in-all-but-name of our society."

Octavius nodded in acknowledgment so Amelia continued. "It turns out Albus actually has sworn his oath of office for the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. That oath is very loose, and allows him to hold any number of offices in his home country."

"You have just given me an idea, Amelia. I will set up a meeting or two and let you know." Octavius smiled, he enjoyed being a politician, and the opportunity to bedevil a grand master of the game was not something to be ignored.

"Thank you, Octavius."

"Amelia, I am serious about not wanting minors, at least, taking part in major battles," Octavius brought the original purpose of the meeting back up.

"I can't keep Harry Potter and his friends out of it, sir," Amelia responded hesitantly.

"Why not?"

"While no one has actually said it, I am sure there is a prophecy about Tom and Harry. I believe Harry is fated as the only one that can actually kill Tom. And Harry has gathered a group of young peers to help him."

"Ahh, why didn't you say so earlier?" Octavius asked.

"Before today, you weren't the minister, and earlier today it was because I didn't know if you could be trusted not to let that bit of important information out. As I have said, we are close to ending this, and Harry and his friends are now working with me instead of just acting on their own. That could change very quickly if Harry decides he can't trust me any longer."

"And why are you so sure about his prophecy?"

"Do you remember the break-in here that proved Tom was back?"

"Yes..."

"We believe the actual fighting started in the hall where all of the prophecies are kept. And while I was recovering from being under the Cruciatus, Harry and his team were the ones that put Tom in his current half dead state. And I heard them talking about how only Harry seemed to be able to hurt Tom. Add to that the very questionable things Dumbledore has been doing around Harry while he is attending Hogwarts. Susan, my niece, has told me some very unpleasant truths about our premier school."

"Your information does seem to add up, Amelia. I will want to discuss this with you again, but for now I want to think about what you have told me."

Amelia left the minister's office was a half smile on her face. She still wished she could have been elected. But it looked like the person that had been elected was going to do a good job.

– – (()) – –

"Amantha?" Robyn said when the young woman she had counseled the previous night showed up in the training room earlier than Robyn had expected.

"Good morning, everyone," the young Auror replied. "I've just heard from Madam Bones, and she wanted me to ask a question."

"We were just about to start our exercises, but I'm sure the teams won't mind a few minutes delay," Evan answered for them all. "What does she want to know?"

"After seeing your training yesterday, Madam Bones was wondering why you didn't use the same kinds of spells during the fight yesterday afternoon."

"Two reasons," Evan answered. "First, we want to keep that spell secret until the big day we put Tommy boy down; second, not everyone is ready to use it with your more powerful curses. Harry and Daphne are the only ones that have managed to wrap our spell around a curse that will actually hurt someone."

Evan paused, and then continued. "Wrapping the spell around more and more powerful curses is what we will be working on this morning."

"Did Amelia say anything else, Amantha?" Robyn probed. Amantha was in a better mood than she had expected her to be after yesterdays near breakdown and speaking with her boss this morning.

"Madam Bones has promised that I am going to regret my lapse of judgment yesterday, but she also said that the same kind of thing happens nearly every time Aurors start seeing each other in a non-professional manner. Thomas and I will have to spend some time in counseling if we continue seeing each other."

"I admit I am surprised and pleased to hear that, Amantha," Robyn responded. "Not many places in the non-magical world would be that understanding, and so much of the magical world seems backwards in comparison."

"Rumor has it that Madam Bones had something like the same thing happen to her many years ago, right after her husband proposed. So she is more understanding than many would have been."

"I didn't know Amelia was married..." Evan said.

"Her husband died in the-line-of-duty during the first war against Voldemort. They had only five years together."

"Was there anything else Amelia wanted to know?" Evan asked, trying to get past his faux pas.

"Actually she wanted to pass on a thank you to you, Mr. Granger. Several people in your group have commented on your ability to lead in a situation that should have had Muggles at a total loss."

"We prefer you not use the word 'Muggle', Amantha," Robyn interjected. "While I am very happy my husband was of service, he will not be seeing any more action."

At Amantha's confused look, Evan explained. "My wife has let me know in no uncertain terms that my not being here with her is not acceptable."

"I will pass that along, Sir, Madam," Amantha said, while thinking about how Amelia would respond to that kink in her long-term plans. "But may we consult with you on some of your training methods and tactics?"

"I think that will be fine, Amantha," Robyn replied.

"Daddy?" Hermione asked tentatively, reminding all of the adults that they had an audience that had been listening.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Daddy, how is it you know so much about training and fighting?"

"You know what the SAS is?"

Harry and Hermione nodded while the pure-blooded members of the group shook their heads.

"SAS stands for Special Air Service, and it is the elite of the elite fighters of the world."

"You were a member of the SAS, Sir?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry, I didn't make the final cut," Evan responded. "But I went through a great deal of the training before I was cut, and a lot of what I have been teaching you is based on what I learned there."


	19. Chapter 18: What?

**Chapter 18: What?**

**A/N:**

We are approaching the end of Help of a Seer, things are about to pick up speed and so is my posting schedule. This chapter is the shortest so far, I think several things get done, but with it being so short, I am planing to post chapter 19 Wednesday or Thursday (March 7, or 8).

Then next Monday Chapter 20, Tuesday Chapter 21, and Wednesday Chapter 22. This is because both 20 and 21 are short and end in what can be considered cliff hangers, and I don't want to be lynched. (March 12, 13, 14). Chapter 23 on Monday (March 19) and Chapter 24 Monday and the Epilogue on Tuesday (March 26 and 27). So we should be finished by the end of March.

**What?: Dumb****l****edore**

"Clear up a couple of things? I don't think so!" Albus mumbled to himself as he looked around the room. The new Minister for Magic had finally agreed to meet with Albus to 'clear up a couple of things'. This was in spite of the fact that Albus had been requesting a chance to meet him ever since the man had been elected. But instead of a private meeting, where Albus could both sound out the new Minister and try to garner support for his new bill to try and rein in all the killing the DMLE was doing, Albus found himself in a room filled to the brim with all of the people he did not want to see in the same room: the leadership of the Wizengamot and the board of governors for Hogwarts.

"Ah, Dumbledore, I'm glad you could make it, and you are only twenty minutes late," Octavius remarked snidely.

It was generally Albus' custom to show up to any scheduled meetings with the Minister a bit late, to convey the idea that it was Albus who was in charge. It would appear that Octavius knew about that game and had turned his custom to a disadvantage.

"It's a good thing I scheduled plenty of time just in case you pulled this little trick of yours," Octavius continued, confirming Albus' guess. "It seems we have a bit of a problem, Albus. It appears that we have not had an actual Chief Warlock for the Wizengamot for some time. In fact, we haven't had a Chief Warlock take his oath of office for about as long as there has not been a Headmaster of Hogwarts giving his oath of office. Today, we plan to rectify that."

"We understand you were told over six weeks ago that you would need to choose between your primary positions, _Headmaster_," Mafalda Hopkirk, the acting president for the board exclaimed in a voice that dripped with disdain. "Yet you never once thought to let the board of governors know that you might be giving up your position. We would have liked to have known so that we could prepare for a replacement."

"I'm sure he was hoping he could postpone this meeting, Mafalda," Octavius said, before Albus could recover. "And if he had been cornered, his answer would have been that he was hoping to groom his replacement for a year."

"_We_ get to pick that replacement, not..." Mafalda started only to be interrupted.

"You do not have to convince me, madam; I'm just as sure he would have answered much the same way about his Chief Warlock position."

Octavius turned back to face Albus to continue. "It is time, Albus, you need to decide here and now which oath you intend to take. If you can't decide, we will make your decision for you. But before you leave this room, you will swear one of your oaths, or you will be relieved of both of your positions."

Albus sat for a moment to gather his thoughts and, to his complete surprise, no one interrupted this quiet moment. "While I wouldn't have put it quite the same as you did, Octavius, I would like the chance to train any replacement for a while."

"There is no need to train someone for the Chief Warlock position, sir," Octavius responded. "And since you have been so busy juggling your positions, I expect your Deputy knows nearly as much about actually running your school as you do."

With that avenue closed to him, Albus started to think about how to salvage as much of his own prestige and influence as he could. Harry would not be attending Hogwarts for at least a year, and Albus expected the war against the darkness would be in the forefront of the magical world for at least that long.

"Since I must choose, I will take my oath as Chief Warlock," Albus finally said. "But I would have preferred being able to ease my replacement into her position."

"And what makes you think your replacement will be female, Albus?" Mafalda asked.

"I expected you to offer the position to Minerva," a flustered Albus responded.

"If Minerva applies, we will certainly consider her for the position, Albus," Mafalda told him. "But I have been hearing a great deal about some issues at Hogwarts, and I am leaning towards bringing in some new blood."

"Mafalda," Octavius interrupted before the two head strong people could get into a shouting match. "If you and the other board members would please witness for us, we will get our Chief Warlock to swear his oath..."

**What?: Amelia**

You handled that masterfully, Octavius," Amelia complimented her boss on their way back to their offices after completing Albus' oath.

"I've wanted to pull one over that old fool for nearly as long as I have been a member of the Wizengamot, Amelia," Octavius said, smiling widely. "Now, Amelia, do you have any new information you can share?"

"No, sir, and even if I did, I would not be sharing it here in the hallways."

"Is security that much of an issue? Really?"

"If I suspected any one person, they would have already been questioned," Amelia answered. "Shortly after our first major victory, I ransacked the ranks and found over fifteen people that were passing information they had overheard. Most of them were not actively searching, but some were not above putting some listening bugs around the hallways."

"Ahh, so there is reason to be careful. I will need to remember that myself."

"There has been progress made, but it is progress of the type that wouldn't make it onto the Minister's desk, Octavius." Amelia continued her report. "Training schedules and spell casting reports, which, while they're very important to a successful conclusion, they're not something you should get involved in, Sir."

"A polite way of saying I shouldn't try to micro-manage your department, Amelia." Octavius laughed. "You're right, I don't need that kind of information. Please do remember though that I want to be kept in the loop."

"I'll try, Octavius." Amelia returned the laugh. "It's strange to be actually working with a Minister instead of trying to get as much done as possible without the Minister's knowledge."

On that note the two separated and Amelia started towards her office, only to find a group of her Aurors gathered around her office door.

"Yes?" Amelia asked.

"Susan arrived unexpectedly with two guests, Boss," Tonks explained.

"Do you want to explain why Susan and her guests caused such a stir?"

"All three of them were nervous, Boss," Tonks said, a bit nervous herself now. "I haven't had the chance to be with Susan all that often yet, but based on what I have seen it would take something pretty big to make her visibly nervous."

"A fair point, Tonks, and your solution?"

"Rather than accost your niece, I thought it would be a good idea to have several of us enter your office together. If everything is fine, you can dismiss us..."

"Another fair point, Tonks. Do you know if I have any scheduled appointments later?"

"Remus Lupin has asked for a minute of your time, Boss, but he has said it's not important."

"Very well. If it looks like this is going to be worse than I expect it to be, I'll re-schedule Mr. Lupin."

Amelia turned to the other Aurors in her waiting room. "You are all dismissed."

"Um, Boss?" Tonks asked, somewhat alarmed.

"I didn't think to let you know, Tonks, and I should have. I expect Neville to ask my permission to marry Susan today. Under normal circumstances, you did exactly what you should have. But I would actually be more worried if you had said the three of them were calm and collected."

Amelia turned a gimlet-eyed expression towards the Aurors that had not left her waiting room. "I thought I dismissed you."

"You did, and as soon as we verify your niece and friends aren't polyjuiced or under the influence of any spells, we will be on our way. Junior Auror Tonks did the right thing calling us, and we fully intend to do the right thing as well."

Since the Auror talking was one of the most respected and longest serving men under her command, Amelia held back the rather harsh comment she first wanted to say and motioned them all towards the door. "Let's get this done then."

– – (()) – –

"Susan, Neville, Hannah, I am sorry you needed to go through that," Amelia apologized, after her babysitters had left her office.

"What caused that, Auntie?" Susan asked, concerned that she had done something wrong.

"I forgot to let Tonks know that you were expected, and when you showed up and all three of you were nervous, she did what someone on my protection detail is trained to do and called for backup."

That was enough information for Susan to figure out what had happened, while Neville and Hannah still looked a bit confused.

"And once alerted that we weren't acting normal, the backup wouldn't leave until they had verified we really are who we said we are," Susan said to Neville and Hannah.

"Exactly!" Amelia huffed, still a bit upset that her niece, Hannah and Neville had been questioned like they had been.

"Susan is pretty sure you know part of what we want to talk about, Madam Bones," Neville ventured. "I had started to think you were trying to scare me off."

"Well, I thought I did, until I found Hannah in the room as well."

Neville coughed nervously while Susan, and interestingly Hannah took one of Neville's hands in support.

"Madam Bones, I am hoping you will... I want to marry Susan and make her Mrs. Longbottom," Neville got out.

"You have my permission, Neville, but I think you phrased that a bit strangely."

"That might be because we are hoping you would be willing to let me be Mrs. Black," Hannah blurted out.

"What?" Amelia's brain froze and couldn't process what was happening.

**What?: Remus**

"Madam Bones, I can come back if this is a bad time," Remus said after he and Beth had been sitting in the head of the DMLE's office for nearly five minutes without the lady doing much more than just acknowledging that they had arrived.

Amelia shook herself twice and made an effort to focus on the two people in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin. I got a bit of unexpected news just before you got here, and I haven't been able to process it yet," Amelia apologized. "What can I do for you?"

"A lot of people have been dancing around the subject, but you seem to know how to get a hold of Harry Potter, and I'm hoping you can tell me how to do so."

"Why?" a suddenly alert and on guard Amelia barked out.

Remus seemed to have expected this response, and he did not take offense, but instead answered calmly. "Harry is my last link to all of my old schoolmates, and I'm hoping to be able to talk with him about Sirius."

"Aren't you a little late for that?" Amelia asked shrewdly.

Remus flushed a bit, but he held his temper. "I have never known where Harry stayed during the summers. Albus has never seen fit to tell me, claiming that Harry needed to stay away from the magical world during the summer for some reason he would never fully explain. But Harry slipped his leash this summer, and it seems you know, if not where he is, at least how to contact him."

"Are you a part of Dumbledore's little group?"

"I do some things for him..." Remus answered cautiously.

"Then I can't tell you, Mr. Lupin. Harry so distrusts Dumbledore that anyone that is closely associated with Dumbledore is also tainted with Harry's distrust."

"What?"

"I do know how to contact Harry, and I am willing to pass on any _verbal_ message you want to give me, but unless you disassociate yourself from Dumbledore, that is all I can do."

"What happened? I thought Harry trusted Albus completely."

"And you likely got that from Dumbledore himself."

"Some, but that year I taught at Hogwarts Harry seemed to trust him completely."

"Most of the distrust came about early this summer. Harry has accused Dumbledore of stealing quite a bit of money from his trust vault. According to Harry, thanks to Dumbledore, Harry has already paid for eight years worth of schooling at Hogwarts."

Remus sat there stunned for a moment before he croaked out another, "What?"

"Because of the treaties we have in place with the Goblins, the case cannot go forward for a while yet, Mr. Lupin. Which is why no one is talking much about the case, but the charges have been filed and are a matter of the public record, so I can tell you what I have."

While Remus sat, totally shocked, the young woman Remus had introduced as Elizabeth Becker stirred and caressed his arm in support before turning to look at Amelia.

"Yes, Ms Becker?" Amelia prompted.

"Do you know how to contact Severus Snape as well, Madam Bones?"

"I can likely pass on a message to him through others, Ms. Becker."

"Please send a thank you to him from me. Remus and I have been over what happened the night I became a werewolf, and, based on my descriptions, Remus is sure Mr. Snape is one of the men who saved my life."

"I should have seen that connection," Amelia murmured to herself.

"What?" Beth asked.

"Sorry, Ms. Becker, I hadn't seen the connection between you and Mr. Snape, and I should have, as it is obvious in retrospect."

"Severus and I have a lot of bad blood between us, Madam Bones," Remus spoke up, rousing from his introspection. "Based on what the healers said, he saved Beth's life that night, and whoever sent me that letter to show up when I did, has given me a new and much more pleasant outlook on life."

"I am glad for the both of you." Amelia smiled while thinking that Luna must have been meddling in people's lives back then as well. "I will pass on your good wishes, Ms. Becker, and Mr. Lupin, if you send me any messages, I will be sure to pass on their contents as well. Now, I do need to get on with some other work, will you please excuse me?"

**What?: Harry**

Harry found Luna sitting under her seeing tree. While she was not crying, she was frowning, which caused Harry to approach cautiously. In spite of his best intentions, there had been a couple of arguments between Luna and himself. Evan and Robyn had both said it was to be expected, and they had both expressed being pleased that he and Luna were working these little differences out. Still every time he and Luna had argued, Harry had felt like an uncouth slob, which was a feeling he wanted to avoid as much as possible.

"Lady Love?" Harry asked with a bit of worry.

"Hi, Harry," Luna responded with no anger, which pleased Harry greatly as it meant whatever was bothering his lady was not his fault this time. But her next words confused him greatly.

"When did we lose control, Harry?" Luna asked as Harry sat in his usual location, and Luna cuddled in his side.

"What?" Harry asked. "When were we ever in control?

"When it was just you and I and our snakes...That explains it, Harry, thanks," Luna said while burrowing even deeper into Harry's side.

"Huh?" Harry was working on trying to sound more knowledgeable, but every once in a while the old clueless Harry emerged, and whenever he did, Luna would smile at him, just like she was right now.

"What are you two doing?" the unwelcome voice of Evan broke into their shared moment. "You two are missing a training session."

"Dad Granger..." Luna started, only to pause and then burrow back into Harry's side. "And that is part of it too it seems," Luna said confusing both Harry and Evan. "Mr. Granger, there will be no training today. Please go away."

With Luna burrowed into Harry's side, she missed the look of hurt that crossed Evan's face at the more formal address Luna had used, but Harry saw it, and he met Evan's look with an expression of confusion of his own. "Luna hasn't told me yet either, Sir, I think she was about to when you interrupted."

"Luna..."

"Not right now, Mr. Granger. Please go away, and ask that no one come out to check on us. Harry and I will be fine out here. We need to do some re-planning."

"I'll let you know as soon as we have something, Dad Granger," Harry offered. "But if Luna has seen a wrinkle in our plans, it would be better to find out now."

Evan nodded and reluctantly returned to the house without the two he had come to fetch.

"Harry, do you know any privacy charms?" Luna asked from his side.

"Just the ones you learned from Hermione, Luna."

"Those will do if we both cast them. Harry, please go first."

Moments later with their wands again stored, Luna was again cuddled into Harry's side.

"What is wrong, Lady Love?" Harry asked.

"Some things appear to be going well, Harry," Luna answered. "But it is because of luck, not because I saw a clear way through the killing."

"And that is bad because why?"

"If we don't stop and slow down, it will all come to naught, Harry."

"So what happened?"

"Madam Bones."

"Umm... Luna, perhaps you could give me a bit more information to work with here."

"Madam Bones took our plan to get the ring and re-worked it on the fly. From what I have seen, that was a good thing, this time."

"But?"

"But, if she does it again, we will lose all of the gains we got from this last fight."

"Luna, I don't see this as the terrible thing you seem to think is it," Harry said, while thinking aloud. "Madam Bones knows you are a seer, and she has made it a point to ask for updates from you. Why don't we both fly over to the Ministry and see if we can't talk to her about your seeings?"

"Do you think it is that simple, Harry?" Disbelief colored Luna's voice.

"I think it is good place to start," Harry corrected. "If that doesn't work we can un-invite Amantha and just use Hedwig to keep Madam Bones updated. Madam Bones would hate that, and I think she would be more willing to listen to you."

"Us, Harry."

"What?"

"Madam Bones would be more willing to listen to us."

"You are the seer..."

"And you are the anchor, Harry," Luna interrupted. "And more than keeping me sane, you also keep me grounded. It is a simple thing, but I couldn't see something as simple as trying to talk to her."

"You've finished your hawk belt, so let's go flying, my love, and you can tell me more on the way to the entrance to the Reserve."

**What?: McGonagall**

"You wanted to see me, Albus..." Minerva's voice trailed off when she found not Albus but Mafalda Hopkirk sitting behind Albus' old desk.

"Please sit down, Minerva," Mafalda said, and then she continued speaking after Minerva sat down. "To put it bluntly, Minerva, Albus took his oath as Chief Warlock this afternoon, which means he can no longer be the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"What?"

"Because he did not tell the Board of Governor about the chance he might not be Headmaster this year, we are now in a bind. What do you know about the vacant positions he needed to fill this year?"

Minerva sat quietly for a second before listing what she knew.

"Albus has confirmed that Professor Vector will be the new head of Slytherin, and he has hired an ex-Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt, as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."

"That is better than I had expected, I must admit, Minerva. I'm pleased to hear that DADA will have a better instructor this year. What about potions?"

"Not such good news, I'm afraid. Albus was hoping to lure Horace Slughorn out of retirement, but the last I heard, that had not worked out as Albus had hoped. There is a Potions Master that would be willing to teach the sixth and seventh years, but he will not agree to teach the lower levels."

"Actually that might be workable..." Mafalda mused aloud before focusing on the lady in front of her.

"Minerva, I can't tell you not to apply for the position of Head for Hogwarts, but I would take it as a personal favor if you didn't. The Board is of the opinion that we want to bring some new blood into the school. A couple of us have been in contact with some of the schools in the old colonies, and they commonly have a different professor teaching the sixth and seventh years. It is likely that we will be moving in that direction, but I don't think we will be able to do so for all the core classes in the less than two weeks we have before school is to start."

"Does that mean I will be retired in a couple of years when you are able to turn the whole school over to this new paradigm?" Minerva huffed.

"No, it doesn't. You are the best person for the job of teaching transfiguration to the younger years. The new paradigm means you will have more time to teach those younger students and also have more time to perform your other duties, although we are thinking that a head of house cannot also be deputy. And before you get even huffier with me, can you tell me honestly that you have been able to keep those two positions separate?"

While Minerva took a hard, honest, look at her past performance and came up with less than adequate results, Mafalda also sat thinking about what she knew of past students that were good with potions.

"I have to admit, I have likely failed in some of my head of house duties..." Minerva finally admitted.

"If you want to continue teaching transfiguration, you can't be deputy, and if you want to be a head of house, you can't be deputy, but I will allow you to continue teaching and be Gryffindor's head of house. I'm not going to tell you what position or positions you should give up, Minerva, but I would like to know what you decide sooner rather than later."

**What?: Evan**

"They've gone," Hermione reported to the gathered clan plus Amantha, Charlie, and Bill. "The privacy charms failed minutes ago, and neither Harry nor Luna is still under the tree."

"Do you know if anything is bothering Luna, Hermione?" Robyn asked.

"I had noticed that Luna has been very quiet since the day we destroyed the ring," Bill offered. "But until today nothing that I would have considered as something we needed to worry about."

Evan nodded at the elder Weasley's words; he had also noted the blonde's introspection, but had not thought it anything to worry about since Harry had been helping Luna deal with the death of the curse breaker during the fight.

"But now you said Luna called you 'Mr. Granger'?" Bill asked Evan.

"Yes, and she said that I was part of the problem. She also mentioned that she and Harry needed to do some re-planning."

"Hermione," Bill turned to the young lady that was now sitting beside him, "did Luna ever tell you her longer range plans?"

"No, Bill. She usually said it was difficult to see very far into the future because of the number of changes that could throw her plan off course."

"Oh," Bill said with a frown, as a terrible idea floated to the surface of his thoughts.

"What do you think, Bill?" Evan asked.

"It looks like we messed up big time, Evan. You, I, and Madam Bones re-worked Luna's plan for that day, and I'm guessing there are some consequences from our actions that have Luna very worried."

"What?" Evan asked, somewhat shocked by Bill's answer.

"Let me try to explain it differently, Evan. We ran roughshod over Luna's plan, and remember, her plan has always been to cause the least number of innocent deaths. Something we did is likely going to cause someone else to be attacked when there is no one that can help."

"But we took down a larger number of Death Eaters than we would have otherwise..."

"And is it possible that Tom now knows more about the forces aligned against him and will be planning attacks we won't be able to counter?" Bill riposted.

"Oh!" Evan deflated visibly. "I was so pleased to be able to help in a more active way that I was blind to the longer range goals."

Evan was quiet for a moment before turning to Severus. "Do you think you and Amantha could get me to the Ministry this evening, Severus? If Bill is correct, and right now I think he is, then that is where Harry and Luna are."


	20. Chapter 19: Getting Ready

**Chapter 19: Getting Ready**

**Retrenching**

"I'm sorry that you don't seem to understand, Albus, but I am not going to send my people into battle situations using the garbage you are trying to pass off as new rules for engagement," Amelia huffed, as she opened the door to her office in an attempt to get the interfering old man out of her space, only to come face-to-face with Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood sitting in her waiting area.

"Harry!" Albus exclaimed. Here was a chance to find out some of what was going on. He had not gone looking for Harry, so finding him here would not land Albus in more hot water. "I really would like a chance to speak with you soon."

Harry glanced at Luna's resigned face, and then he forced a smile towards the old man. "It's not a good idea for us to meet until after the trial about all the Potter money I'm claiming you used improperly."

"I was hoping we could meet and you would allow me the chance to explain out of the Wizengamot's chambers," Albus wheedled.

Harry glanced towards the stone faced Amelia for confirmation.

"The Chief Warlock is allowed to request such a meeting, Mr. Potter," Amelia said before she explained Harry's options. "You have the right to refuse his request, or you may counter with a request for a meeting between someone you trust and either the Chief Warlock or someone he designates."

Harry nodded his thanks towards Amelia and turned back to Albus. "Sir, I do not wish to meet with you prior to your trial. I feel my lack of experience and youth would grant you too much of an advantage in any such private meeting."

"Harry, I only want what is best for you..." Albus' voice trailed off at Harry's look.

"Sir, I must tell you that I consider that an absolute lie! As near as I can tell, you have never wanted what is best for me. You have wanted what is best for your greater good with no concern about what that does to me. I...will...not meet with you."

"Harry..."

"Mr. Potter has given you his answer, Chief Warlock, and if you continue to press him I will have you physically removed from my office."

Albus recognized a dismissal when hit in the face by one, and he nodded to Amelia. "I will be back to try to get you to see reason, Madam Bones."

"Don't bother returning unless you are willing to listen to more than your side of the argument, Chief Warlock," Amelia riposted. "Now please leave as it seems I have more business to deal with. Mr. Potter, Miss Lovegood, please come in. I was not expecting to see you today."

"We need to talk to you about something Luna has seen," Harry said, as he and Luna entered Amelia's office.

"Tonks, please get some refreshments and let Susan know I will be a bit later than I intended," Amelia instructed her only Auror on duty in the waiting room office before closing the door on the ex-headmaster.

"Right away, boss," replied Tonks, already moving towards the ready room.

– – (()) – –

Albus could not be considered dumb. Spending years as the headmaster for a school of adolescents had taught him to pay more attention to what was going on around him than most people would believe. Harry had said that they needed to discuss something Miss Lovegood had _seen_. All of the intelligence Albus had been able to get out of either the Ministry or Voldemort's camp seemed to point to people knowing when and where to attack with no prior knowledge. If Miss Lovegood had inherited even a portion of the seer's ability from her mother's side of the family then, suddenly, there was an explanation for that fore-knowledge.

Albus resolved to spend a bit more time finding out more about Miss Lovegood's visits instead of continuing to focus on Harry's. And starting on this new plan, he transfigured himself a comfortable chair in the far corner where he could watch the door to Amelia's office, and, once seated, he used his strongest disillusionment spell. Once invisible to the world, Albus settled down to wait.

- - (()) - -

"Harry, Luna, is there a problem?" Amelia asked, not at all sure why the two young adults had been waiting outside her office door.

Harry and Luna took the time to transfigure a couple of chairs into a love seat before sitting, Luna immediately curling into Harry's side, which worried Amelia since the girl had not even really glanced at her.

"There is a problem, Madam Bones, but I'm not sure how you are going to take my news," Harry said. He was not frowning exactly, but his face was as serious as Amelia had ever seen it.

"Okay, I can see it isn't good news. Since you seem worried about my reaction, I'll try to keep still until you tell me what is wrong, but I can't help until I know."

For some reason, Luna shuddered and cuddled even deeper into Harry's side, which worried Amelia even more.

"I don't think there is a way to break this easily, Madam Bones. The problem is you."

Amelia started, and her famous temper nearly broke through, but Tonks managed to interrupt at just the right time with the requested rolls and drinks. Once the Auror was again outside her office, Amelia took a calming breath and asked, "How am I the problem, Harry?"

"When you changed the battle plan that day we retrieved the ring, you caused some unwanted ripples in the future. We were already going to be facing a tough fight when Tom goes through the ritual. According to Luna, that fight is now going to be tougher than it was going to be."

"Ah."

"Luna has confided in me that if you do that again, we could lose everything, and all of us will die. You, me, Luna, all of Luna's clan, your Aurors at the battle, all of us."

"And Voldemort?" Amelia asked.

"While he will die, the losses bringing him down would be so horrific that the Ministry would fall within a week to one of three possible new dark lords," Luna said, speaking for the first time.

"Is there anything we can do to mitigate the problems I have caused?"

"I don't know, Auntie Bones," Luna said, uncurling from Harry's side now that it seemed Amelia was willing to listen. "To be honest, I thought nearly all was lost, but Harry recommended that we try to talk to you about the problem I saw."

"Then I owe you a debt, Harry, both for being willing to track me down in what amounts to my den, as well as giving me a chance to do better."

– – (()) – –

Albus was wondering how long he would have to stay when a group of three more people entered Amelia's waiting area. Albus recognized one as an Auror that had been on Amelia's protection detail for a while, one male was unknown to Albus, but the other... Albus nearly lost his disillusionment at the sight of Severus Snape with clean hair and a smile on his face.

"Evan is hoping Luna and Harry are still here, Tonks, and that they would be willing to let him in to join their talks," Amantha announced.

"Hey, Amantha," Tonks responded. "Yes, they're still here. I'll check to see if Evan can join them."

'Curiouser and curiouser,' Albus thought to himself. 'They all know each other.'

Tonks knocked and cracked the door open enough to stick her head through the doorway. A few moments later, she waved Evan and Severus in, stopping Amantha before she could enter.

"Thomas is in the ready room, Amantha. He has been cleared to return to some restricted duty tomorrow. He showed up so he could to catch up on what happened while he was healing. If you hurry I think that he'll still be there."

Amantha blushed violently, and she whispered a quick thanks before heading back out of the office towards the ready room.

'What a strange group of people,' Albus thought. 'And who is Evan?' No matter who the man was, it was becoming quite apparent that there had been several meetings that Albus had not been invited to. Being the Chief Warlock, Albus was generally invited to just about every meeting about anything, and that this group had formed and had become cohesive without his knowledge was completely unacceptable.

– – (()) – –

"Mr. Granger, Potions Master, I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"Evan, please, Madam Bones. When Bill explained what he thought the problem that was affecting Luna so badly was, I invited myself to see what we can do to help."

"Evan, then. When we are talking business, I will still need to be called Madam Bones, but please call me Amelia otherwise."

Evan nodded, and he turned to Luna. "Luna, I'm very sorry we managed to bollix up your plans. What can we do to help fix them?"

"Dad Granger?" Luna gasped with wide eyes. "You want to help too?"

"I do, and I promise to try and not go off half-cocked this time."

"Mum Granger is not going to be happy, I think, but there may be something you can do..."

"Luna?" Harry queried, his lady having that far-away look in her eyes again.

"If we don't attack any more Death Eaters, we might be able to pull this off after all," Luna exclaimed. "But you will be pressed into a more active role, Dad Granger; you and our Potions Master as well."

"You know I will do what I can, Luna," Severus responded, somewhat surprised to have been brought up at the meeting.

"With the loss of his cannon fodder, Tom is turning to some other magical people. We will be facing several more werewolves this time, as well as some trolls. If we take down any more of his troops, he will try to get a couple of giants to join the fight, and that would be very bad for us."

"Do you have numbers for us, Luna?" Amelia asked, aghast that her victory a couple of days ago meant her people would be facing trolls next.

"Between ten and fifteen werewolves, I think, with between five and eight trolls. If we were to attempt to take out any of the safe houses the Death Eaters are going to be using for training, the number of werewolves and trolls go up, and the possibility of Tom getting a giant or two becomes more likely."

"So Evan and I will be on werewolf lookout during the fight," Severus guessed.

"And I need to get my people some combat training against troll sized creatures," Amelia added.

"It's too bad I can't get any anti-personnel weapons to use against these trolls; I'm sure one of those would soften a troll up if not actually take one down. But those are military only," Evan commented into the silence.

"And I..." Luna started, only for both Harry and Evan to interrupt in chorus, "...need to get some sleep."

Evan and Harry glanced at each other, and Harry nodded to Evan to go first.

"Luna, you have worn yourself out worrying about these changes," Evans started to explain. "You need a good night's sleep and with no visions, if that is possible."

"Luna has explained that it is not really possible to turn off the visions, but I have every intention of holding her tonight to help make them more pleasant," Harry said.

"A potion of Dreamless Sleep won't help?" Amelia asked.

Severus re-entered the conversation. "They have tried that before, Madam Bones, and while her sleep was uninterrupted, Luna went into more than one trance the next day, seemingly with no control."

"And the dreams that day were all horrid," Luna added. "I really hate the dreams where Daddy's ghost critiques all the killing I have done."

"So they are not all visions of the future that you see, Luna?" Amelia asked, while Evan and Severus looked shocked at Luna's admission.

"No, I also have visions of the past, and I dream just like anyone, but it's sometimes hard to tell the difference. I told you about my seeing seas of the killing curse, and you, quite correctly, figured it was a dream."

"We were going to try and have a major gathering of all the people we could get to help train us tomorrow, Luna," Evan interrupted. "Do you want us to re-schedule that? For that matter should we continue to plan on putting together a larger training force?"

"I think we should still meet at the Lovegood house we used before and transfigure the ground floor into a training area like you planned, Dad Granger," Luna offered, her eyes again looking somewhen else. "But I do think there are going to be a couple of changes in the training. One very good thing that has come out of our recent battles is the use of curse blockers. Our teams are going to need some curse blockers as well I think. So we will need to hold some training and tryouts for the positions."

"You don't know who should be chosen, Luna?" Evan asked.

"I know, but the best result is if you and Mum Granger make the decision," Luna explained.

"All right, people, we have our marching orders." Amelia then summarized the meeting. "Tomorrow you will all still meet to transfigure the house; Luna is to sleep late, if possible, and will meet with Evan and Robyn on the tryouts; I will contact my people about combating trolls; and Severus, can I get you to set up a practice area where you and others can practice using those cap and ball pistols? I might want to try my hand at using one of them, just to see how they work."

Severus glanced to Luna, reminding everyone that she needed to have the final say in the plans.

"I like that idea, Auntie Bones," Luna said after a moment of thought. "Dad Granger, can you get four or five more of those pistols?"

"I can, although not by tomorrow."

Luna smiled and nodded; the vision of failure receding more and more as their plans changed.

"It's getting late, and I really want a chance to talk to Susan tonight," Amelia said while standing. "Normally I would be willing to work later, but..."

"But tonight you want to talk to Susan about Neville and Hannah," Luna finished for Amelia. "It's a good thing Susan and Neville are doing, Auntie Bones. I don't think I could do what Susan is offering, but I do think it is a good thing."

"I will try to remember that, Luna, but, for now, all of you need to leave."

– – (()) – –

Albus remained where he was until well after the others had left. He had been unable to learn a lot from his spying, but it did seem that Harry had teamed with Luna Lovegood, and that Luna was actively working as a seer. Plans needed to be put in place to separate Luna from Harry, and, if possible, Albus would want to question Luna about ways to bring about his Greater Good.

**Retooling**

Robyn watched the activities taking place with a worried frown. She was not pleased with much of anything today; what with Evan telling her about the changes Luna wanted to make to the clan's plans, plans that included Evan taking an active role in the fight. She started and turned when a pair of arms wrapped around her. Turning, Robyn found herself facing the young lady she was both worried about and upset at.

"Luna, do you know how worried I've been?"

"And how much you would like to shake me as well, I think, Mum Granger."

"I'm scared, Luna."

Luna looked up at Robyn and said nothing.

"Evan is my rock and anchor, without him, I am nothing."

"And you are his, you know, Mum Granger," Luna said with a grin. "You two complement each other to an amazing degree, but I need him to help with this last big fight."

"And the one after that, and the one after..."

"No!" Luna interrupted Robyn. "This _last_ big fight, Mum Granger. There may be some fights after this last one, but the clan will not be as involved with them. This is the make or break fight, and if we lose this one, it won't matter if Dad Granger is hurt, as none of us will live more that twenty-four hours afterwards. And if Dad Granger isn't there to help, it is much more likely that we will lose."

"And what do you expect me to do, Luna?" Robyn asked quietly. "Who will be here to help me through that day and night?"

"Thomas for one, Mum Granger. According to Amantha, he has returned to duty, but he is not going to be up for this kind of a fight. Narcissa will be waiting for someone to come home as well. And you will be together."

"Luna, I'm not sure I can do this, I'm not strong enough."

"Susan has told me how you reacted to Tee being hurt, Mum Granger. Your love and support is a lot of what holds this clan together, but I know you depend on your husband, and if I thought he wasn't critical to our winning, I wouldn't be asking him to help. But he is important, his being there is critical. Severus alone will not be able to deal with all of the werewolves we are going to be facing. And there is someone else that is important."

Robyn looked at Luna for a moment not saying anything while waiting for her to continue.

"You are important too, Mum Granger," Luna finally continued. "Why do you think we all call you Mum? It's because you hold more than just a position of authority as a parent. You have taken us into your heart. You planned to help us after the last big fight. You keep us grounded. Dad Granger is your support, but you are the one that supports the rest of us.

"That will be a cold comfort when Evan doesn't come back," Robyn snapped.

"Why do you think I won't be coming back?" Evan asked from the doorway.

"I can't deal with the kinds of things you are doing so well and are enjoying so much. I can't even claim that I know what you are thinking, or who you are anymore."

Unnoticed by Evan and Robyn, Luna slipped out of the room, closing the door as she did so.

"You are my wife, the one person in this place that knows who I am even when I have forgotten it myself. I know it seems I'm enjoying the idea of being close to the action, but the only person I need to have waiting for me is you."

"Evan, what are we going to do when this is over?" Robyn voiced one of her other concerns from Evan's chest as she let him enfold her in his arms.

"I don't know, Robyn, but we know people that we can ask now. And you need to remember, that whatever we end up doing, we will be doing it together."

"Evan..."

– – (()) – –

"Minister, you asked to see me?" Arthur asked as he entered the man's office.

"Yes, Arthur, I did ask for you," Octavius said from behind his desk. "Do you know Mafalda Hopkirk?" Octavius asked as an introduction of the other person in the room.

"Everyone knows who Mafalda Hopkirk is, Minister, but I have not actually met her before," Arthur answered. "Madam Hopkirk, I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I am hoping to pry you away from your position at the Ministry, Mr. Weasley," Mafalda said, getting straight to the point. "Hogwarts is in need of a complete overhaul, and your name has come up as someone that can teach potions to the younger students."

"Potions? Me?" Arthur was too surprised to do much more than just stutter.

"You have one of the highest NEWT scores in the last twenty years."

"But I don't have a mastery, Madam Hopkirk."

"You won't be teaching the upper levels, Mr. Weasley. We have a master to teach those levels, but he is not willing to teach the younger students. It is also known that you would like to get away from your now too empty house, and I think this is an excellent opportunity. You will only have to teach potions to years one through five, and you will have support from a potions master in helping the fifth year students study for their OWLS."

Confused and startled, Arthur turned towards Octavius.

"You are not being fired, Arthur, if that is what you are worried about." Octavius put Arthur's mind to rest. "You have done a reasonably good job at your position, and if you don't want to leave, you will continue at your current pay level, even if we do put a half-blood in charge of your current department. There are several other positions in the Ministry that could use your knowledge and skills."

"But I won't be in my current place any longer?"

"You will be to start, but I want to put someone that has some first-hand knowledge of Muggle things to head your department," Octavius answered.

"What other duties would I have at Hogwarts, Madam Hopkirk?" Arthur asked.

"To start with, none," came the reply. "This upcoming year will be hard enough on the teachers and the staff both. I have talked several people into coming and helping out with the re-organization. Once things start to settle down, you may need to assist with remedial classes, however, what we are asking is going to be a full time job as it is. The staff has been severely overworked for years, and several areas of instruction and school life have suffered."

"What would my pay be?"

"Why don't you and Mafalda continue this in the conference room three doors down, Arthur?" Octavius interrupted. "I don't need to know things like your pay and benefits. I know Mafalda needs an answer soon, Arthur, and I think you could do a fine job helping school children learn, but you will have a position at the Ministry if you decided you can't or don't want to change careers at this time in your life."

– – (()) – –

"You wanted to see me, Amelia?" Octavius asked, as the lady entered his office almost before Arthur and Mafalda had been able to leave.

"I got some unpleasant news yesterday, Octavius," Amelia said bluntly. "As I think I mentioned, Tom knows we are going after him. And we now believe he has recruited between ten and fifteen werewolves, which is bad enough, but he has also recruited between five and eight trolls."

Octavius was quiet for several moments while he absorbed those numbers. "Does that make this a fight we can't win, Amelia? Or a fight we can't even afford to even show up for?"

"It doesn't look good on the surface, sir," Amelia answered. "However, we have come up with the start of a plan to deal with the added complications."

"I don't generally call trolls 'an added complication', Amelia."

"Actually I don't call them that either, sir, but I have every intention of pulling several of my best people off of their current assignments to have them drilling with the Unspeakables to deal with the trolls. They have agreed to help with the extra training needed."

"And the werewolves?" Octavius asked.

"We actually have more than the start of plan to deal with the werewolves, sir, although we will be employing a Muggle weapon against them."

"And will these weapons be handled by minors?"

"No sir, these weapons will be handled by adults. At this time, I'm planning for two Aurors, a non-Ministry wizard that has used these weapons against werewolves before, and a Muggle, who has not only used the weapons, but is the one that procured the weapons and modified them to be effective against werewolves."

"Can we trust this Muggle, Amelia? I don't recall you ever mentioning a Muggle in your planning before."

"His daughter is a witch, so he knows about the magical world, and he has been working behind the scenes for a while. With the inclusion of the werewolves, it is now expected that he will be a part of the force that takes Tom on."

"I don't suppose he knows of a weapon or two that could take on the trolls as well?"

"Actually he did mention something called anti-personnel, but he said that they were for the military only and that he couldn't get any. The weapons he will be using against the werewolves are something that can actually be purchased in the United States on the open market and then smuggled into England."

"So if I can get some of these from the Muggle government, could he teach us how to use them?"

"I think so, as it seems he had quite a bit of military training when he was younger," Amelia allowed, after a moment's thought, while she was wondering what Octavius was thinking to ask such a thing.

"Much as I dislike the idea, I will contact my counterparts in the Muggle government. I need to let them know a lot more than Fudge was telling them anyway," Octavius said. "I will take an expert on trolls and see if the government would be willing to at least explore the idea of helping. What is the name of our Muggle weapons expert, if they ask?"

"Evan Granger," Amelia replied with some amazement. Actually talking to the Muggles? That was something she would not have considered.

"If the weapons are as powerful as you are claiming, I truly doubt they would be willing to let us use any. But if they know what we are going up against, they might be willing to at least talk about it," Octavius mused more to himself than Amelia, before shaking his head and changing the subject.

"Amelia, have you thought about what you are going to do once you retire?" Octavius asked.

"Um," Amelia stuttered, surprised at the question, "not really. I'm not doing much more than planning for taking Tom down."

"While I do understand you focusing on that, I know of someone that is looking for one or two administrators, and I think you would be a good fit."

Amelia stared for a moment and tried to order her thoughts. She had not been keeping up on the Ministerial gossip for the last week or so and had not heard of any rumors about someone that was hiring.

After a moment of waiting, Octavius could not wait any longer, and blurted out, "Hogwarts is in need of both a deputy and head, and while I don't think you would be considered for the head, you would do very well as the deputy."

"Hogwarts?" Amelia asked in surprise. "With what little consideration I gave to Hogwarts at this time, I expected McGonagall would be the new Headmistress."

"The Board of Governors gave McGonagall a choice: she could continue teaching and remain the head of Gryffindor; or she could give up teaching and being head of house and be the deputy; or she could try for the position of Headmistress, with no real chance that she would be hired for that position. She decided she wanted to continue teaching. That is only part of the changes planned for the school. The Board is reorganizing the school since Albus is gone."

"I didn't think they would actually get the old man out of the school before at least midway through the first term," Amelia admitted.

"The Board didn't ask him to leave." Octavius chuckled. "They had the house elves empty his office and moved all of his personal stuff to his office here, and then they shut the wards against him within four hours of his taking his oath as Chief Warlock. I understand he was a bit put out, but the Board is currently under Mafalda's control, and she is pushing hard for sweeping changes."

"Good," Amelia said. "I was thinking of sending Susan somewhere, anywhere, else due to how bad the school had become." Amelia paused, and then continued. "And thanks, Octavius, I think I will contact Mafalda this afternoon."

"Mafalda is three doors down, interviewing a possible instructor for the changed Hogwarts. I will have her come down and talk to you before she leaves the Ministry building," Octavius said, bringing the meeting to a close.

– – (()) – –

"Fred, George, you two did the best of all of those that tried out for the positions of curse blockers." Evan spoke to the two young men after the tryouts. "But I need to know if you understood that the positions were for separate teams. You won't be able to work together."

"Yes, sir," Fred started.

"We knew that going in," George continued. "And we are shocked."

"Yes, we are very shocked that you think..." Fred added in the normal twin speak the two brothers used.

"...that we can't work apart from each other," the twins finished in chorus.

"You might be shocked, but..." Evan started only to be interrupted by a running Luna, followed by an also running Severus.

"Dad Granger, I need you at the Ministry building right now!"

**Allies and Breakthroughs**

"Minister, you summoned me?" Amelia asked as she walked quickly through the doorway to Octavius' office, concerned about the urgency of her summons.

"Ah, Amelia, how soon can you get your Mr. Granger here?" Octavius asked without preamble.

"I have someone that can contact the group he is with, sir, but I don't know how long it will take to get him here," Amelia answered.

"I had an initially very unpleasant discussion with the Muggle government folks today. If I thought for a minute that I could make a treason charge stick against Fudge, I would have him arrested!" Octavius exclaimed. "But once we got down to business things got better. They are willing to discuss our troll issues, but they want Granger as their contact, and they want to meet with him to find out what he knows. Go get him here as quickly as you can!"

– – (()) – –

"Thomas, I need..." Amelia started as she re-entered her own area only to stop as the man she wanted was in the act of sitting down in her waiting room. "...Mr. Granger as soon as you can get him here." Amelia finished.

"Yes, boss, I'll get him here five minutes ago," Thomas smirked and then added. "Boss, Mr. Granger is here as well as Potions Master Snape, who brought Mr. Granger."

"Thomas, it was very good of you to bend time for me to get Mr. Granger here before I asked for him. Tonks, this is how I expect all of my guards to anticipate my needs."

"Boss, I'm going to need to transfer somewhere else then," Tonks shot right back at Amelia. "It will be years before I can anticipate like Thomas did."

"Evan, can I assume that Luna sent you to me?" Amelia asked.

"You can, Madam Bones," Evan replied. "And while she was most insistent that I leave right then, she also had a smile on her face."

"While we were running to find Evan, Luna said something about kissing the Minister who ever he is," Severus added. "Since you are here, Evan, do you think I could try to... Narcissa, I was just thinking about you."

Narcissa Black had just entered the waiting room with Hedwig on her shoulder, a note in her hand, and a puzzled expression on her face.

"Severus? Well, that might begin to explain this note from Harry Potter saying I should visit the Ministry and be prepared to be taken out for a late lunch or an early dinner."

"Severus, I need to take Evan to see the Minister, and I think we will be out for a while, so why don't you see if Narcissa is willing to entertain you?" Amelia asked while looking at Tonks.

"Boss, Narcissa is here," Tonks said, picking up on the cue.

"And I thought you said you couldn't anticipate, Tonks," Amelia mock scolded.

"Only for the small stuff, so far, boss."

"I guess no transfer for you then, Tonks."

"What?" Narcissa asked, and her confusion turned towards anger as nearly everyone in the room laughed.

"Cissa, I'll explain," Severus said as he moved over to Narcissa and offered her his arm. "Madam Bones is currently under a lot of stress and needed to release some of it in a harmless prank. I must say you are looking..." Severus' voice faded as they exited the waiting area and moved down the hall toward the elevators.

"Actually, I did need that laugh," Amelia mused. "Thank you, Thomas, and, Tonks, you picked that up well."

"Now, Evan, we need to prepare you to meet with the Minister, and from there I think some of your non-magical military will want to talk with you about troll hunting," Amelia said as she brought the conversation back towards more serious lines. "Please write down what information we can send to your military about your service, and then I will brief you on what you will need to know about the Ministry of Magic and our Minister. Tonks, I want you to take the information Evan is writing down to the Minister, to be passed to his non-magical contacts."

– – (()) – –

"What or who do we have?" the general asked.

The group of officers in the meeting did not represent any official task force, but they had been formed after a nationwide attack on multiple locations had been traced. All of the officers in the room either had family in the magical world or had been informed about the magical world. The group had orders to plan to take down a magical terrorist group. Those plans were now on hold as word had come down from the top that there had been a magical election, and the new people in power were more willing to talk and discuss common issues. Several issues would be brought up with that government later. However, for now there was a pressing need for some military know how as the magicals were planning to take down that terrorist group on their own, but had run into some firepower issues.

"Dr. Evan Granger, sir," the briefing officer said. "He served with distinction from 1970 through 1976, and he nearly made SAS. But after being failed out of that training, he left the service and went on to become a dentist. He married and has one daughter; word has it that the daughter is a witch. He and his wife disappeared early this summer; the police say there is evidence of a break in, and that there was a fight in the house, with a lot of blood in a couple of the rooms."

"We have traced some small arms smuggling to Mr. Granger," another officer said. "US legal cap and ball pistols, black powder, and surprisingly, some silver were ordered at the same time."

"Silver is effective against werewolves, and we know that they expect to face a squad level force of werewolves," another officer, one with family in the magical world, responded. "I believe Mr. Granger is casting the bullets for the pistols himself, using the silver, rather than lead or the commercially available pre-cast bullets."

"The myth about silver being deadly to werewolves is true?" The general asked.

"Yes, sir, that is no myth, but actual fact."

"Send word to our magical contacts that if they need more of these pistols, we will look the other way, since nothing we have could be chambered for that metal in the time frame we have been given. We can offer some time at a shooting range if they want to use it," the general ordered. "Also make a note that our forces will need some means of taking down any werewolves we meet in the future. Now what do we know about these trolls?"

"There are three types of trolls, sir, but I expect they will be facing mountain trolls, as Riddle seems to have some way of commanding them. Mountain trolls stand around twelve feet tall and mass from one to three tons, they have a thick skin, they're very resistant to most damaging magic, and they have a low intelligence, on the order of a normal five year old. The other troll types are a bit smarter, and more communicative, and so are more likely to see through the lies Riddle would need to tell to recruit them. The other troll types are also a bit smaller, both in size and mass."

"A standard rifle would not be able to do much damage to something that size," another officer reported, reading an analysis that had been hurriedly prepared. "Based on what we know, they can't seed the area with mines as the friendly forces will be doing the attacking instead of defending, and an anti-tank rocket is not really feasible because of the lack of training time, combined with the expected number of trolls."

"I think we could consider these trolls as if they were a lightly armored personnel carrier," the officer continued, "so I think an American M82 would be effective. We know the bullet for that weapon will penetrate close to two inches of armor. We have plans for a heavy anti-material rifle of our own, but the prototype isn't expected to be ready for a year."

"Granger made it well past the midpoint of his SAS training, sir, and, with training, he would be quite capable of handling the M82, sir. Also, setting up some flare launchers might give our friendly troops an advantage in their upcoming fight if it is going to happen at night."

"We could also consider a 40mm grenade launcher, sir. We have several M79's. The launchers don't have the range or penetration of a M82, but are easy to use, and so it would be easy to train more than one person to use them," another officer offered. "An M82 would need to be handled by Granger only, as it would be too difficult to train someone with no earlier military training."

"Is it you opinion, that an M82 would be able to stop one of these trolls?" asked the General.

"I'm confident it would, but I'm not sure it will be a one-shot-one-kill. The analysis I was able to put together says something like three shots per troll. No one has been able to tell me how tough or thick a troll's skull is."

"And the M79? Will a 40mm grenade be able to stop a troll?"

"I believe it will, sir, as it has both high explosive and anti-armor munitions as well as flares."

"Which would allow the weapon a chance to both illuminate the battle field as well as help against the trolls," the general said. "I would agree to allowing one M82 and one M79 with a mixture of the 40mm grenades and flares as long as we have a chance to do the training, and the M82 is handled by Granger only."

"Is that in addition to any range time, sir?" the officer making notes asked.

"Yes, and be sure all of us know when the training and/or range times are going to be. I want some of us observing at all of the training," the general ordered. "In the meantime, our plans to bring down this magical terrorist group will continue, just without the urgency."

– – (()) – –

Amelia, Evan and Octavius had just finished their initial conversations when a knock sounded at the door, and Thomas stuck his head through.

"Boss, Mr. Bill Weasley just arrived saying you would need him shortly," Thomas said.

"Related to Arthur, Amelia?" Octavius asked.

"His oldest son, Octavius. Bill works for Gringotts as a curse breaker. He took leave to come home after the deaths in Arthur's family and hasn't returned to work yet. He has been involved with the training of Mr. Potter's group just like Evan has been."

"Send him in then," Octavius decided. "Amelia, I will want a more detailed explanation from you shortly about how people seem to know when to show up."

"Sir," Amelia answered, before turning to introduce Bill to the Minister. As she finished, the fireplace flared to life to indicate an incoming floo call.

**Daphne's Decision**

"Daphne, you did it!" Harry exclaimed happily as the dummy Daphne had been targeting burst apart.

"Yeah, I did," Daphne said before collapsing to the floor sobbing.

– – (()) – –

"What happened?" Evan asked when he, Severus and Bill returned to the Reserve to find his wife, daughter, Daphne, and Charlie all missing from the dinner table.

"The short story is that Charlie left the Reserve this afternoon after having a fight of some kind with Daphne, Sir," Harry answered. "Daphne didn't tell us until halfway through the training session after she successfully dismembered one of the training dummies with her follow-ball spell loaded with a severing charm. Daphne said that Charlie was heading back to the Dragon Preserve in Romania."

After hearing this, Bill excused himself and headed toward the fireplace in the next room to make a floo call.

"Did anything else come out of the practice?" Evan asked.

"Luna and Tracey were also able to damage their dummies by the end of the day, and Blaise was also able to dismember his dummy right at the end," Harry answered, still acting as spokesman for the group.

"And Hermione?"

"She helped Mum Granger escort Daphne to her room and none of them have been seen since, sir."

Evan nodded, and he sat down in his normal chair.

"What happened at the Ministry, Dad Granger?" Tracey asked. "Luna would only say that she thought it would bring good things, but nothing else."

"Bill and I will be doing some different training starting tomorrow," Evan answered. "That is if Bill is still with us."

"I will be," Bill answered as he re-entered the room and headed towards his normal seat. "But it does look like Charlie is gone. He spoke to Dad briefly before he left the Burrow and is likely already out of England."

"Do you know anything else, Bill?" Evan asked.

"I do know he was starting to get worried he was staying away from his position at the Dragon Preserve too long..."

"… And?"

"And I think he was becoming frightened by how close he and Daphne were becoming, sir," Bill finally answered. "He never actually said anything, but he was getting nervous whenever he was around Daphne, but not in her arms."

"Thank you, Bill," Evan said before turning to include the rest of the table. "Bill and I will be doing some training with the non-magical military starting tomorrow morning. They are offering two different types of weapons that they believe will be effective against trolls. Severus is going to need to pick and train at least two others to help with the werewolf teams since it looks like Bill and I will both be needed elsewhere."

"The mugg...non-magical army has weapons that can hurt a troll?" Blaise asked.

"They actually have several types of weapons, but have selected two that they believe they can train me and Bill on quickly," Evan answered.

– – (()) – –

"Yes, Thomas?" Amelia asked when Thomas knocked on her door. She was sitting and thinking about her day and the revelations about the weapons the Muggle military could use if ever they decided to fight the magical world.

"Remus Lupin and Beth Becker would like to see you, Boss."

Amelia sighed and nodded towards Thomas to let them in.

"What can I do to help you today, Mr. Lupin?" Amelia asked after the two were seated.

"I wanted to let you know that we have resigned from Albus' group in the hopes that Beth and I will be able to meet up with Harry now," Remus said with a frown.

"Why the long face, Mr. Lupin?" Amelia probed.

"Albus Dumbledore has personally assisted me several times since he learned I am a werewolf, Madam Bones, and he made sure I felt like I was turning against him when Beth and I went in to resign."

"That was to be expected, Mr. Lupin," Amelia said with a bit of triumph in her voice. "As it turns out I know of a task that you will be able to help us with, one which will bring you into contact with Harry and the group he is working with..."

"But?"

"Not a but, Mr. Lupin, more of a request. I am hoping you will be willing to help us fight and bring down some werewolves that have been hired by Voldemort."

"Like we did at the Molly's funeral?" Beth asked.

"Yes, and no, Ms Becker," Amelia answered. "If you agree, we will be providing you with some muggle firearms that have been loaded with silver. It is our hope that our forces will be able to take care of the werewolf threat before they actually reach our defensive lines." Amelia paused for a second before she continued. "I will send a message tomorrow, as someone else actually has to give the final approval of your joining this training. I messed up once and made things worse by jumping from the frying pan into the fire."

"I am willing, Madam Bones, if it will allow me to meet up with Harry," Remus said firmly.

When Amelia turned to Beth, she nodded her head. "Where Remus goes, I also go."

– – (()) – –

"Mr. Granger?" Bill asked as he approached Evan. They were alone in one of the studies that were used for research.

"Yes, Bill?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Hermione."

Evan sighed, he had been wondering if this would come up since Charlie had disappeared. Evan nodded for Bill to continue.

"I'm very aware that you have been watching as Hermione and I have become closer, and I would like your permission to court Hermione officially."

Evan blinked at that, and re-ordered his thoughts as that was not what he had expected.

"Sir?" Bill queried when Evan did not immediately express his displeasure.

"I admit that was not what I expected, Bill," Evan said. "My daughter is much her own person, and I know better than to interfere directly with her love life. Why do you think you need my permission?"

"I am the heir to the House of Weasley, and while it is a minor house, and my father is in good health, it is customary for an heir to announce his or her, intentions when he or she, starts to get serious about a potential spouse," Bill explained.

"So you are starting to get serious with Hermione, Bill?"

"Yes, I am, Evan. I wasn't sure about Hermione to start, but we have spent the time needed to get beyond the fact we are both intelligent, and that she is seven years younger than I am. Your daughter is a delightful and attractive young woman, and she has a nice sense of humor underneath the mask she generally wears. Her interests complement mine well, and her time here has mellowed her need to always be right."

Evan half smiled, it seemed Bill really was smitten with Hermione. Evan and Robyn had watched as Bill and Hermione had gone though some small disagreements, and knew of at least two instances where Hermione had admitted she was wrong.

"Why now, Bill?" Evan asked. "I didn't think you would be talking to me for a bit yet."

"Charlie's leaving has a good bit to do with it, Evan," Bill answered. "That and we are about to go though some training together, and as a properly raised pure-blooded wizard, I'm going to be very lost about many of the mugg...non-magical things I'm about to experience. I will need your help, and I don't want you worried about how I might leave your daughter in the lurch while I'm so dependent on your help."

"You do know I'm not thrilled about the possibility that you will end up taking Hermione to Egypt with you, or worse, you go to Egypt while leaving Hermione here," Evan said, impressed that Bill was being as open with Evan as Bill was.

"That is one of the reasons I didn't want to bring it up right now. I'm currently unemployed. The Goblins do not deal with widows well, and curse-breaking is a dangerous livelihood. When I informed the Goblins that I was starting to see someone, I was put on unpaid leave. There are no married or engaged curse-breakers on a Goblin dig site, unless both of the couple are curse-breakers and on the same site," Bill explained. "There is a chance I can continue to work for Gringotts, but I will need to train as a warder before that can happen. As a warder, I would remain in England for the most part, with only the possibility of occasional week long trips out of the country."

Evan sighed again; Bill had just removed the biggest issue Evan had with Bill being serious about Hermione. "I must admit that I'm very pleased to hear about the Goblin's attitude, Bill. Have you told Hermione this as well?"

"Yes, sir, although it was only yesterday, and I expect today's events are more on her mind than my lack of income. Hermione has told me how close she and Daphne are, and how they've needed to comfort each other on occasion. I don't expect to see Hermione until morning."

– – (()) – –

The tears had subsided, and Robyn was worried as there had not been much wailing. Daphne was currently curled into Hermione's side and holding on like she would never let go, but seemed to be coping for now.

"Mum Granger?" Daphne finally asked.

"Yes, Daphne?"

"Did you ever meet someone and then when they left you, you felt more relief than sorrow?"

"No, Daphne, I haven't. Before I had the chance to meet Evan, I didn't date much, and never seriously. Is that what you think about Charlie?"

"I think so, I'm also so mad that he let us all down the way he has, and I hurt some that it seems being close to me is what drove him away, but I think I'm glad he is gone, and I won't have to play his games anymore."

"What games?" Robyn asked sharply.

Daphne and Hermione both looked shocked at the tone of Robyn's voice and Daphne blushed a bit as she answered. "He didn't bed me if that is what you're worried about, Mum. The games he and I played were that we loved each other."

Robyn relaxed a bit at that, and Daphne had called her 'Mum' without the Granger, which made Robyn feel even better. "I'm glad he didn't take advantage of you like that, Daphne," Robyn started before Daphne interrupted her.

"We were heading in the direction, Mum. He certainly knew how to make my body respond and I loved the pleasure he gave me! But for all that he was willing, he didn't push me whenever I said no."

Robyn sighed again, and louder this time. "Daphne, I'm still glad you said no, and I'm even gladder that Charlie didn't try to push past your 'no'."

"I'm glad I said 'no' as well, Mum," Daphne said. "But I'm not looking forward to no hugs and kisses in the mornings."

"Hugs you can get, and light kisses I'm sure," Hermione interjected. "But not the same kind Charlie was giving you, I'm also sure. I am here for you though, Daphne, and I'll hold you."

"Bill..." Daphne started.

"...I hope Bill and I will be married by this time next year, Daphne," Hermione interrupted. "Bill also knows how important you are to me as well, and he knows what you and I share."

"He does?"

"He does, I told him when he asked. I don't lie to Bill. Mum and Dad have told me many times lying to someone special to you hurts more in the long run than any pain from an argument where you tell the truth."

Robyn stayed quiet, as the girls seemed to have forgotten she was in the room. That Hermione was that serious about Bill was something new that Robyn would share with Evan. That Hermione had listened to some of Robyn's homilies would be something that warmed Robyn's heart and would for a long time.

"Um..." Daphne blushed.

"You don't have to hide from me, Daphne," Robyn said as it seemed one of the girls had remembered she was in the room. "Dad Granger has told me what he said to you two, and I agree. It isn't bad or evil, nor do I think you will be in a long term romantic relationship, but you two have a friendship that most people will envy. Don't let what most people say ruin it for you. Goodnight, you two." Robyn then stood and kissed both foreheads before leaving the room.

"Do you have any idea how special your parents are, Hermione?" Robyn heard as she closed the door. Another bit of life that would warm her heart later.

**References:**

Barrett M82 .50cal Rifle

http : / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Barrett_M82

AW50 (Accuracy International Rifle) anti-material weapon

http: / www . eliteukforces . Info / special-air-service / weapons / aw-50 . php

http: / www . armusa . Com / AccuracyInterRifles . Htm

Note: The AW50 .5 inch rifle did not start production until 1998, and so was not a part of the British military at the time of this story. It is mentioned as a prototype in story. On the other hand, the US military purchased some of the Barretts in 1990, and so it was in use by the US armed forces during this tale, I found a blog reference that the British Special Forces trialed the Barrett around '92 (http : / www . ww2incolor . com/ forum/ showthread. php ?5519-Barrett- .50-cal-sniper-rifle)

I also found a reference that the M79 Grenade Launcher was used in the Falklands war by the British army (http: / .org/ wiki/ British_ground_forces_in_the_Falklands_War #Infantry_weapons ).


	21. Chapter 20: The Last Minute Changes

**Chapter 20: The Last Minute Changes**

**A/N:**

This is a reminder. I think the chapter ends at just the right place, but since it could be considered a cliffy of types, I hope to post Ch 21 tomorrow. I know that the next one is short and for sure ends in a cliffy so I hope to post Ch 22 on Wednesday.

**Wow!: Bill**

Bill Weasley was living his father's dream as he sat beside Evan in a military transport of some kind. The morning had started earlier than normal when Evan recommended that they do some 'PT'. Actually Bill and Evan had been meeting to do some exercising early in the morning anyway, but the workout today had been much tougher. Then, after a quick trip to the Ministry of Magic where Bill and Evan had been introduced to a lieutenant, they had been bundled into this transport, and now they were off to a firing range of some kind. Bill had every intention of coming up with some means of showing his dad all of the muggle things in the transport.

"Mr. Weasley?" a voice interrupted his inspection of something called a lighter.

"Um, yes? I'm sorry, I was wool gathering," Bill answered the lieutenant.

"I understand from Mr. Granger that you are not familiar with our non-magical things."

"That is correct, lieutenant, I am what they call a pure-blooded wizard, and we are very insulated from the non-magical world. As it is, I might be more familiar than many pure-bloods, but I know that I know very little."

"What do you understand that we are going to be doing, Mr. Weasley?"

"Based on what I've heard, and what Evan, um, Mr. Granger told me this morning as we did some exercise, you plan to instruct me in the use of a weapon that we hope will be able to hurt, if not bring down, an adult troll."

"Do you have any knowledge of firearms?"

"Some small knowledge - Evan said you know he has some pistols, and he has worked with me on how they operate, and I managed to score pretty well during our target practice."

"Mr. Granger?"

"Remington 1858 cap and ball revolvers, lieutenant, I believe you were told about them, as I was told the government would look the other way as I purchased a couple more of them, as well as some additional powder and spare cylinders."

The lieutenant pulled a file from a side pocket and glanced through it.

"Ah, there it is. So, Mr. Weasley, you do you understand what causes the weapon to fire?"

"Yes, lieutenant, I do. Can I ask why you are going over this?"

"I need to brief the sergeant that will be training you, Mr. Weasley, and this information will give him a reasonable starting place for your training. It will make it easier for all of us if we know how much you know. Since Mr. Granger has spent time in our military, we have a good idea of his starting knowledge. Now what is the most important rule while on a firing range?"

"Evan has always said that safety comes first whenever you are handling a weapon. It doesn't matter if it is a pistol or my wand, while in training, no one is to be really hurt."

"Excellent, Mr. Weasley. And Mr. Granger, I am pleased you have passed that knowledge along." The lieutenant paused for a moment to write a bit of information on his file before speaking again.

"Mr. Weasley, you will not be in the same training that Mr. Granger will be doing. We will be training you on the use of a M79 Grenade Launcher. It is a single shot, break action weapon that has seen a lot of service in the past years."

The lieutenant noticed the blank look he was receiving from Bill and turned to Evan. "Do you know what a Barrett .5 inch M82 is, Mr. Granger?"

"I know it was developed in the United States, and made quite a few headlines in the military world when it was adopted."

"We have a few of the weapons that we purchased to see what it would do. You will be receiving training in the use of an M82, as we feel it has the best chance of knocking down a troll at a long range."

"We expect a part of our fight will be at night lieutenant," Mr. Granger added.

"There are infrared targeting systems, but it is more likely that the battle arena will be lit up with some illumination flares fired from Mr. Weasley's M79."

The lieutenant pulled some pictures from a folder, and turned back to Bill. "Now Mr. Weasley, these pictures are of the M79. Please notice..."

– – (()) – -

Severus sat at the work bench, molding some more silver bullets when a knock at the workroom's door startled him.

"Yes?" Severus asked while turning around to find Luna and Harry entering the room.

"Potions Master," both of the young adults greeted him. The fact that they had spoken in chorus caused a brief grin to light up all three faces. Then Harry's grin fell and he was the one that started the conversation.

"Madam Bones has written that she has two new people to replace Bill and Dad Granger, sir."

"Good, when can the Aurors be here?" Severus asked, only to be brought up short by Harry's expression.

"What is it, Harry?"

"They aren't Aurors, sir, and we will need your permission to bring them to the Reserve."

"Why is that, Harry? You know we need more people handling these guns..." Severus paused, and reordered his questions. "My permission? Don't you mean yours or Luna's permission?"

"No, sir, we will need your permission."

Severus thought for a moment and frowned. "Lupin."

"Yes, sir. Professor Lupin has cut his ties with the senile headmaster, and has asked what he can do to meet with Harry," Luna said confirming Severus' worry. "You're now the person in charge of this training, and we don't want to make you train someone that you feel you can't work with."

"What are the ramifications to the final fight if I don't agree to teach Lupin, Luna?"

"The fight is going to be very chaotic, and I don't know that Professor Lupin's presence will make a huge difference one way or the other, sir. I do believe that having two additional Aurors on the front line instead of on werewolf duty would be a good thing, but you're a part of our clan, and if you don't think you can work with and teach Professor Lupin, Harry has agreed to meet with him at the Ministry."

"Who is the second person I would be training, Luna?"

"A Beth Becker, sir. She is also a werewolf; she was the 'guest of honor' at that party of werewolves you and Dad Granger crashed some time ago. Professor Lupin has been helping Ms. Becker learn about being a werewolf. If you don't feel you can teach Professor Lupin, Ms. Becker will not be joining us either."

"Can I think about this for a moment, Luna, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry answered. "Do you want Mum Granger to talk to while you are deciding?"

"No, I don't think so, Harry, but thank you. I'll let you know my decision in a half-hour."

– – (()) – –

"Mr. Lupin, Ms. Becker, please come into my office," Amelia announced from her office door.

"I have heard from the Auror I have stationed with Harry this morning," Amelia continued after Remus and Beth were seated in her office. "There is a complication."

"They don't want us?" Beth asked for the nervous Remus.

"Actually they do, but Remus needs to know who it is that you two will be working with closely. It seems they share some bad memories."

"Who is it?" Remus asked in confusion. "I can't think of anyone that would be working with Harry that I … Snape? Harry has Severus Snape working for him?"

"Yes, Severus Snape. He sent word that he is willing to try to work with you, but you had to know who you would be training under as well."

"The last I heard, Harry and Severus seemed to despise each other," Remus thought aloud.

"If you don't mind my asking," Amelia interrupted Remus' thoughts. "What caused the bad blood between you two?"

"Sirius once pulled a pretty nasty trick on Severus while we were in school," Remus answered. "He tricked Severus into entering the room where I was kept during the full moon. This was before the wolfsbane potion was developed so I was not in control of my actions. If James hadn't interrupted us Severus could have been killed. As it was, I understand that werewolves became Severus' boggart afterwards, and I know it was part of the chain of events that led to Severus breaking with Lily Evans and taking the dark mark."

There were a few moments of silence after Remus finished.

"Yes, I can see that coloring your reactions to each other," Amelia finally said. "Are you willing to work under Severus now?"

"Yes, ma'am, I was willing to work with Severus before when we were both teaching at Hogwarts a couple of years ago. But at that time, Severus wasn't really interested in working with me. I don't know what might have changed since then."

"Luna Lovegood is what changed, Remus."

"You do know that didn't make much sense, Madam Bones."

"Yes, I do, but it doesn't change the fact that what changed is that Luna and Harry managed to hire Severus to do some potions research for them, and also managed to both remove Severus' dark mark and surround the man with a positive environment, and the man is becoming quite human."

"He helped save Beth, and I am very grateful..." Remus started only to be interrupted by Beth who had been silent up until now.

"We, Remus, we are very grateful!"

Remus smiled at the woman beside him and nodded in agreement. "Yes, we are very grateful, so I, we are willing to work under Severus, if he is willing to train us. My ultimate goal is to see and talk to Harry. Severus is a minor obstacle as far as I am concerned."

– – (()) – –

"Forty-five seconds, Granger! Better, but nowhere near good enough!" The sergeant barked.

"Wow!" Bill exclaimed focusing Evan's attention to the fact that his performance had witnesses.

"I had no idea there were so many moving parts, and that you could take them out and put them back together that way."

"Sergeant Parks?" The man training Evan asked of the sergeant that had been training Bill.

"Mr. Weasley is making good progress, but needs a break to absorb some of what I have been explaining. As it is lunch time, I brought him over just in time to see Granger start to disassemble his piece."

"And I am very glad that I had the chance to see that, sergeant, I really am."

Both of the military men frowned, not sure how to react to someone that was not a recruit, and had not been through basic training. But the officers said they needed to train these two... and all sergeants know that officers are crazy.

"Because of the number of moving parts, there is a slight chance the weapon will jam, Bill," Evan explained. "If that happens I need to be able take it apart and put it back together to clear the jam. And it is much better if I can do it quickly. Then I will need to learn this by feel since we believe it will be dark during the fight."

"I'm going to say it again, Evan. Wow!"

**D****o****wn Time**

"Hey."

Daphne opened her eyes to see Luna standing above her. Daphne had left the table at lunch early to come outside and relax and try to regain some of her composure. It seemed someone had followed her outside though.

"Luna," Daphne acknowledged the girl. "Where's Harry?"

"Harry is spending some time with Professor Lupin and Miss Becker," Luna answered. "He doesn't need me there for that conversation, and I wanted a chance to relax a bit, only to find you doing the same thing. May I join you?"

"If you want, Luna, but I'm not really good company right now."

"I don't need good company," Luna said as she lay down next to Daphne.

Daphne watched as Luna settled and true to her words, she closed her eyes and said nothing. After a few moments, Daphne also closed her eyes and started to relax. It was amazing how having someone nearby actually seemed to help some...

– – (()) – –

"Blaise?"

"Yes, Tracey?" Blaise responded.

"Can we go out and relax with Luna and Daphne?"

Blaise looked over at his love with a questioning look.

"We...I... I want to support Daphne in this, Blaise," Tracey explained.

"Of course you can go out, Tee, but I am to meet Hermione shortly for some additional training as a field healer. Why don't you go out and relax, and I'll try to convince Hermione we need to end a bit early and we'll join you when we can."

– –(()) – –

Robyn paused at the doorway into the common room at the sight of the young woman that had been introduced as Elisabeth Becker sitting alone in one of the comfortable chairs that were scattered across the room.

Beth looked up as Robyn entered and rose gracefully, but waited for Robyn to cross the room with no apparent worry or concern.

"Ms Becker," Robyn greeted the young werewolf. "I expected you to be with Harry and Mr. Lupin."

"Harry and Remus were so deep into their conversation that I slipped out and they didn't even notice me leaving, Mrs. Granger."

"What brought you out here?"

"I'm trying to reconcile myself to the fact I'm planning to kill others..." Beth started with the end of her sentence dropping in volume sharply even as she re-took her seat.

Robyn frowned as she sat across from Beth. "Is Mr. Lupin pushing you to do this?"

"No, actually Remus has been nothing but supportive, and has said several times that I don't need to do this. I need to do this for me, but it is proving more difficult now that I'm actually training," Beth answered.

"Do you want to talk about it to a total stranger?" Robyn asked, her frown clearing somewhat.

"If you don't mind, yes I would like to talk it out," Beth answered.

– – (()) – –

"Sir?" Amantha ventured from the doorway.

Severus finished putting down the crucible holding the molten silver before answering. "Thank you for waiting to interrupt me, Amantha. What can I do to help you?"

"I'm expected to report to Madam Bones in a few minutes, and I know she is going to want to know how Mr. Lupin and Ms. Becker did, and if you think they will work out, sir."

"The young adults all address me as Potions Master, Amantha, and you may do so as well," Severus said as he turned to face they young Auror. "They both did very well for their first attempts, in spite of the gloves and protective paste they needed to wear to protect them from the silver. Ms Becker is a muggle-born and as such knew what we were trying to do; Mr. Lupin was attentive and I feel the training and practice went better than I had expected it to. Harry pulled them away the minute the scheduled training was completed and I haven't seen either of them since then. As I understand it, they don't plan on living at the Reserve, and will be transported here every morning. Tomorrow we will be working on the team training in the morning, and I will work with all of the people that will be using the pistols in the afternoon. Right now I feel all of them will be competent in time."

"Thank you, Potions Master." Amantha nodded and left the man to his work.

– – (()) – –

"There you are, Beth," Remus said as he entered the common room to find Beth and Robyn talking. "I'm afraid I was so focused on Harry that I didn't notice when you left. I apologize."

"There is no apology needed, Remus." Beth smiled as she stood and crossed over to Remus and then wrapped him in her arms. "You've been planning your meeting with Harry for a week. Did it go as you wanted it to?"

"Yes, it did, and maybe even a bit better than I expected it to," Remus said as he smiled at Beth before turning to Robyn. "Thank you for entertaining Beth while I was so tied up."

"You're welcome, Mr. Lupin. Beth and I had a very good talk."

"Remus, please call me Remus if you have reached a first name basis with Beth."

"Remus then, and unless we are in front of the children, you may call me Robyn." Robyn paused and continued. "Remus, I'm sure you are going to be asked this several times, but I would like to know how you and Severus did together this morning."

"I believe we did much better than either of us expected, Robyn. I know I felt I needed to walk on eggshells since it was made clear to me that my presence was on a trial basis. But by the end of our scheduled training period, we were doing pretty well with each other."

"Good..." Robyn started before Beth interrupted her.

"I mostly agree with Remus, Robyn, but I do think the two of them need to sit down and talk out some of their history. Remus needs to know he can ask questions, and Mr. Snape needs to know he can correct Remus sharply when he needs to."

Robyn nodded towards Beth in thanks and changed the subject. "So where is Harry?"

"All of the kids are outside relaxing," Remus answered. "Harry mentioned something about supporting one of his friends."

"Good... Remus, Beth, I believe Amantha is planning to return you to the Ministry. We are planning a major training session with the teams tomorrow morning, if at all possible, so please be at the Ministry by seven thirty so you can be at the training location by eight, which is when we want to start. I will brief you when you get here, and you get to see some of the training before we will throw you into the deep end so to speak."

- - (()) - -

"Wow!" Daphne exclaimed softly as she sat up. Arranged around her were all of her friends here at the Reserve. Luna she remembered lying down beside her, but sometime in the afternoon all of her friends had joined Luna as well.

Luna opened her eyes turned slightly so she could smile at Daphne. "We all wanted you to know that you aren't alone, Daphne. We have gone through a lot together to get here, and we don't forget those that traveled that road with us."

Daphne just nodded, but silently she exclaimed 'Wow!' once more.

**Briefings **

"Harry?" Luna said as she slipped into Harry's bed.

"Huh?"

"Harry, Tom has made some decisions and is trying to make things harder for us."

"Ummm, Lady Love, give me a minute to wake up, then tell me what you learned."

Luna wrapped Harry's arms around her and waited for his thought processes become active.

- - (()) - -

"What do you have to report?" the General asked.

"The Magical Minster is scheduling a briefing, sir, and has informed us when it is and is asking if someone from our area would like to attend."

"And this is different somehow?"

"Yes, sir. This is the first time we have ever been invited. The politicians are actually hopeful that this means they will be willing to address some of our concerns after this crisis is over."

"Did the Minister mention what would be covered in the meeting?"

"It seems they have received some intel about where the operations are going to take place."

That gave the General pause and he looked up at his assistant. "Operations?"

"Yes, sir, that is how the information was passed down."

"Then yes we want to attend. In fact, I think I want to attend, but I know better than think I can. Make sure we have at least two people there, and make sure that they have the rank to make some decisions."

"Yes, sir."

- - (()) - -

"Now that we have all been introduced, there are three more people that will be joining us," Octavius announced. "For our non-magical guests, I need to explain that these three are the source of all of our intelligence, and in spite of their ages, my administration trusts the information they have uncovered."

"Madam Bones, if you please?"

Amelia opened to door and let Harry, Luna and Hermione into the room. Both the Colonel and Major attending the meeting sat up straighter when the age of the newcomers became more obvious. This was not what they were expecting.

"This is Harry, Luna and Hermione. Harry, why don't you give us the information you have uncovered."

Harry paused for a moment to gather his thoughts; there were a number of people in the room that he did not know.

Hermione put a map of the island on the table and nudged Harry.

"Um, right… Anyway, Tom has made his decision on where the ritual is going to take place, but he also has hired some non-British help with orders to pull some, if not all, of the force he is expecting us to be using against him away. The ritual is going to be performed here."

Hermione tapped a location circled in red in the western part of the island with her wand.

"But over the last several days Tom has contacted and arranged for a force of some fifty men to meet on the coast of France. This force is to board some small boats and sail to within two miles of the English coast in this area."

Hermione drew a circle, coloring a part of the water red.

"These forces are to apparate to these three areas…"

Again, three taps of her wand.

"… and then spread out and begin a killing spree in order to force some of the people that should be attacking Tom into defending against these three groups."

That caused a murmur from the people sitting in the room.

"Have these forces been give specific targets?" The Colonel asked.

"No, sir," Harry responded. "They all received the same orders: Cause as much destruction as you can quickly and then move to a different location."

"Will there be a way to intercept these boats before they reach this area?"

"There isn't a magical way to cover that big of an area," Amelia answered the man before turning to Octavius. "Is there any way for the French Ministry to prevent them from launching?"

"I can ask, Madam Bones, but I'm not sure they will be able to stop all of them."

"Are these boats going to be camouflaged in some way?" the Major asked.

"No, we don't think so," Harry answered after a whispered conversation with an embarrassed Luna. "They are too big to be charmed with 'notice-me-not' spells, and we believe they don't want to run the risk of either running into each other or being too close together so they won't be disillusioned."

"At least this area isn't the narrowest part of the channel, which will give us an area to work with. They will be targeting non-magical targets, so I do not have a problem with flooding that area with patrol boats and putting up a couple of sub-chaser planes to act as spotters to help discourage them," the Colonel said. "And if you can give us the actual locations of their rally points, I can have some anti-terrorist units at each site."

"That should take care of most of them but we should still have some Aurors on standby to help with any that manage to get through." Octavius said. "I know that will pull some from your site, Madam Bones, but I can't see any other way. We can't give a group like that free rein."

Luna tugged at Harry's sleeve again and whispered into his ear.

"It is possible that with the non-magical help that is being offered, none of them will be able to get through the defenses you are setting up, and no more than one, much smaller, team if some do manage to start causing trouble."

"Which means only one team on standby, Madam Bones," Octavius said.

"Is that risk acceptable for you?" the Minister asked the Colonel and Major.

"I believe that it is, since we will be aware of the targets, do we know when these operations are to take place?"

"Early evening, three days from now," Madam Bones responded since she and Harry had talked before the meeting started. "We should be able to get you the actual locations by this evening. Now since we know know where the ritual is going to take place, we have also learned some of the security Tom is planning to put around the area. Harry?"

"Tom selected this site as being the one furthest from the area the diversionary force was to be working. According to Dad Granger, that is going to be good for us and not so good for his forces. The site is a shallow vale which means his forces will have the low ground, and our forces will have more cover for defense. His trolls will need to attack uphill which should slow them down quite a bit. The werewolves will not be as affected by needing to travel uphill though.

There is one reasonable hill where Dad Granger and Bill will be stationed with the weapons designed to deal with the trolls. However, one thing that Tom does have going for him is that his forces can decide to concentrate on just one area if he tries to break out, while our forces will need to defend around the whole vale. We don't believe his forces are trained well enough to do that intentionally, but it could happen.

There are already two teams of Tom's troops patrolling around the site to prevent us from being able to set up and dig in. These teams are expected to report quite often, and we believe Tom would be willing to delay by a month if these teams fail to report. And that would mean he would learn we are actively working with the non-magical government. Right now we think that is one of our biggest advantages.

Starting the morning of the ritual a third team will start to patrol, and sometime after noon, a fourth team will join them. But Tom thinks we are planning to attack before the ritual starts. So as soon as the ritual actually starts, those teams will be called into the center since Tom thinks they will have done the job he intended. We believe we will have between thirty and forty-five minutes to get into place before the end of the ritual which is when we actually plan to attack."

The Major spoke into the silence after Harry was finished. "May I ask a question?"

"Please do." Octavius gestured towards the man.

"First, that was a very complete set of intelligence, thank you. But with the landscape the way it is, you are going to have more trouble protecting against the werewolves. As I understand it, you don't have but eight people training as pairs right now. I suspect you really need at least four more to start training quickly."

"Madam Bones?" Octavius asked.

"You are correct, and we are looking for some additional volunteers, but I'm not sure we are going to get them. Our forces all have received some training on the spells that can bring down a werewolf, but I now expect we will take more damage from them than I had hoped."

"I will see to it that you receive some additional copies of pistols you are using, but I recommend you train some of your regular wizards on how to use them..."

"Curse-blockers!" Harry interrupted and then winced. "I'm sorry sir."

"No, what did you see, young man?"

"We have six groups of people that are doing nothing but block curses to be stationed around our lines. If we get one of each of them one of the pistols and some training, they can serve double duty. I don't think the werewolves will be interested in attacking an area where the killing curse is being cast, so the blockers should be able to help with the werewolves."

"It's not ideal, but it could serve," the Major said while thinking.

"Luna?" Madam Bones asked." I messed up before by not asking your opinion, so will Harry's idea help?"

Luna peeked from behind Harry and nodded her head.

"Good, that is what we will plan for then. Major, you do know how to contact us when the additional pistols arrive?"

The Major nodded his head.

"Is there anything else anyone would like to add?"

"Excuse me," the Colonel spoke up. "Will you be having any additional meetings like this in the next couple of days?"

"We aren't really planning on it, Colonel," Octavius said for the group. "Unless some unusual intelligence comes down to us, I was planning on letting my people do their jobs without my looking over their shoulders."

"Ah. May I request an additional meeting in the morning on the day of the operation for at least some of us as a chance to exchange any additional information? The number of boats that will be crossing the channel would be very helpful, as would the times they leave the French coast."

"My contacts in the French government should know if they are able to stop any of them by then, it is true," Octavius said. "Harry, Luna, do you have any estimates for our allies?"

"In all of our discussions, Luna has mentioned nine boats leaving the French coast, Minister, but we have never looked into the times they launch since at the time, we didn't know there would be anything we could do about them."

"That is more information than we had before, young man, and the government would really like for you to be able to clean up this group. It has caused too much damage already. Also stopping terrorists before they have a chance to kill innocents is always a good thing in our books," the Colonel explained. "About that meeting?"

"It will be a smaller group, but we can have a short meeting in the morning of the ritual," Octavius said after a moment. "Several of the people here will be very busy getting ready for the fights to come, but I do agree it would be wise to meet up and verify time lines if nothing else. Now is there anything else?"

– – (()) – –

"What do you have to report?" the General asked.

"Sir, the magicals are now expecting that a force of fifty will be traveling across the channel from France with orders to harass and destroy in order to pull some of their force away from the primary target," the Colonel reported. "We have been given the three rally points for the force and know that they all should be within two miles of the coast for their magical transportation to work. I'm notifying the Navy, and sending some of our anti-terrorist groups to the rally points."

"Good, anything else?"

"Several things, actually, sir. Their intelligence is coming from young adults, not old enough to vote or enlist. But the magical Ministry trusts it completely. My people are trying to figure out why. The intelligence the young adults provided was very complete. They are the ones that discovered the information about the force crossing the channel, and they learned not only where the fight was to take place, but also have a rough idea of the security already in place around that site and why that site was selected."

"Your impressions?"

"I'm not sure, sir. While the information was very complete, and the young man delivering the briefing was able to think of a solution to an issue the Major brought up, there was a young girl who was clearly trying to stay in the background, yet she was the one who was asked to approve any changes to the plans. And any questions about the intel that young man didn't know was answered by the girl."

"Do we trust their intel?"

"I don't think we can afford to ignore it, sir, but I really wish I knew how they were getting the intel."

"She's a seer," a new voice announced.

Both the General and the Colonel started in surprise as another member of their team entered without knocking.

"Sorry to interrupt, sirs, but we just heard from some of our people with magical connections, it seems the Magical Minister thought you might need the extra information. The girl is a seer, which means she can see different futures based on different decisions. We were told that this girl has sworn to bring this terrorist group down because they killed her father. Normally, seers do not interact with others at all."

"So we should trust their intel?"

"Absolutely, sir. You can't get better intel unless you were able to be in five or six places at the same time listening to all of the plans being made, because that is what a good seer can do."

"And the young man?"

"We believe he is her anchor. A person that can keep her in the here and now instead of getting lost in the different futures she can see."

"Prepare a briefing on seers and anchors as soon as you can," the General ordered and then turned back to the Colonel. "Your suggestions are approved. And let the Navy know they are allowed to destroy the boats if they need to."

"Yes, Sir."

– – (()) – –

"Um, Sergeant, Evan?" Bill interrupted the two men.

"Yes, Bill?" Evan answered while the sergeant frowned at being interrupted.

"Based on the numbers you are giving me, I won't be able to help with the trolls much at all."

"Why is that, Mr. Weasley?"

"Even the double purpose rounds have a danger radius of one hundred and thirty meters. It will only take seconds until the trolls are all inside the safety zone needed by our fighters."

"That is a good catch, Mr. Weasley, we wondered if you would make it."

"Thanks, Sergeant, but..."

"The reason Sergeant Parks is missing is because he is picking up some additional ammo for you. We can't use this kind of round against humans as they are able to dodge it easily, but your trolls should not be able to dodge laterally and the round does not have a danger area."

"What kind of round is that, Sergeant?" Evan asked.

"A signal flare, Mr. Granger," the Sergeant answered. "They burn hot enough that they should burn your trolls quite easily if you hit them with it."

– – (()) – –

"Boss?"

Yes, Thomas?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger are here and would like to speak to you."

"I don't recall asking for a meeting with them, Thomas."

"They don't have an appointment, Boss, they asked Potions Master Snape to bring them."

"Please have them come in, Thomas."

– – (()) – –

"Thomas?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Did I see, Mafalda Hopkirk at the ministry earlier?"

"Yes, Boss, she is meeting with the Minister about delaying the start of school by a week."

"Interrupt that meeting and ask them to join me in conference room four."

"Yes, Boss."

**The Morning**

Hermione entered her parent's room with a little frown on her face; she had noticed that

each of the clan had been called into to see them, but generally it had been by pairs: Harry and Luna; Blaise and Tracey; Amantha and Snape; Bill and Daphne; and now finally her, by herself.

"Kitten," Evan said as Hermione found herself wrapped in two sets of arms.

"Mum? Dad?"

"I'm not happy that my baby girl is about to go off to war," Robyn said. "But there is no way I'm not telling you how proud I am of you before you have to leave."

"We've told all of the clan members how much they mean to us and that we consider them family. But you are special. Not only are you our daughter, but I do believe you are the one that has grown up the most since we got here," Evan told Hermione.

"Harry..." Hermione started only to be interrupted.

"Harry is a fine young man, and both he and Luna have grown some. Everyone has grown some due to what you are doing, but you are the one that didn't fit into this group when we arrived. Now you have conquered your fears, and you've earned a place on the strike teams due to your hard work. You changed from being a Know-It-All into a facilitator."

"Daph..." Again Hermione tried to get a word in.

"Daphne provided the push, yes, but you did the work to change. And finally, you have learned how to give in a relationship, which is one of the hardest things for anyone to learn."

Evan stopped talking and kissed Hermione's forehead, followed by Robyn doing the same.

"You need to come back from this mess unhurt, Hermione," Robyn whispered. "I'm looking forward to giving you and Bill our blessings."

– – (()) – –

"Cissa?" Severus exclaimed in surprise. "I'm very happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"The cover story is that I am going to be waiting with Robyn, so she isn't alone today. The real reason is that I wanted to see you again before you need to leave. Severus, please come back to me."

Severus was stunned; he and Narcissa had become close enough that he was beginning to dream of a time afterwards. But for Narcissa to come out and say it?"

Narcissa did not give the startled potions master a chance to respond; she grabbed him and gave him a searing kiss.

"I'm tired of waiting, Severus. We both needed a chance to heal from the start of this summer, but I am not going to let you slip though my fingers. Stay safe. And if you can keep some of these brave and stupid children safe as well, that would be good too. But first and foremost, you need to come back to me."

– – (()) – –

"Auntie?"

"Yes, Susan, you know I'm busy..." Whatever Amelia was going to say was interrupted when Susan wrapped her arms around her aunt and squeezed hard enough to prevent Amelia from breathing.

"Not this time, Auntie. You need to say a proper goodbye to me and to one other."

"Gasp...Susan, I don't say goodbye. I say 'See you tomorrow'," Amelia said as she returned Susan's hug. "I have Amantha and Tonks watching my back. You, Hannah and Neville take care of yourselves. If this goes pear-shaped, you three get out of the country!"

Then a part of what Susan had said filtered through and Amelia had to ask, "One other?"

"Amelia," came from a hesitant voice at the doorway.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?"

"Trying to say, 'See you tomorrow', Amelia."

"Susan?..."

"Not my fault this time, Auntie. Mr. Weasley came by of his own accord. I might have called him if he hadn't, but he did. And I'm glad that for the first time in forever, you have actually remained on speaking terms with a man for longer than a week. And since you are both going to be working at Hogwarts, I can hope you will continue to grow together..."

– – (()) – –

"Evan?"

"Yes, Love?"

"None of this matters if you don't come back home to me."

"Robyn, I have every intention of coming back home to you. We have a future to plan after all."

**Pre-fight Chatter**

"Now!" Luna exclaimed, although quietly. "Tom has pulled his troops into the center. We need to move now."

"Right. Pass the word, 'move into position'." Amelia whispered her commands. "Luna, Harry, Hermione, Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, as soon as you have defeated Tom, you get back behind our lines."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Right."

"I mean it; you will do more against the remaining Death Eaters using your fancy spells from behind the lines. There will be two teams working to protect you while you are bringing Tom down, I need them to shore up our defenses if some of the Death Eaters try to break through, and I can't use them if they're protecting you."

Amelia turned to the Unspeakables behind her.

"Give us five minutes, and then set up the anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. And any help you can give us against the werewolves would be nice."

"And the Trolls?"

"We believe we have the trolls covered, but if you have the chance to help, please do so."

– – (()) – –

"Bill."

"I see them, Evan, they're moving; it's time to get set up."

The two men worked quietly for a minute, Evan unfolding the bipod that supported the barrel of his weapon, while Bill transferred his wand to a holster, and started to un-crate the different types of ammunition he had been trained on.

"Illumination flare first you think, Evan?"

"Yes, I think so, but try to angle it to the far side of the target area. Harry, Luna and the teams are closer to us, and I would rather they continue to be hidden by some shadows if possible. And follow with a fragmentation round right in the middle of that group just to the right."

"It was nice of the sergeants to loan us these night goggles, even if we do have to take them off once the fighting actually starts."

Evan didn't reply as he finished settling his weapon and pressed the magazine into place and then chambered the first round.

Bill put the first four rounds he was going to use on the ground in front of him and then readied his own weapon.

– – (()) – –

"I've received word from all the teams that they are in position," Amantha reported, not really comfortable with the position that Thomas generally took. But the healer had been clear. Thomas was keeping Robyn company tonight. The short loving session Amantha had shared with Thomas the previous evening had confirmed that he was not really ready for all out combat. Of course that same loving session had also confirmed that they were still an item, and that had been enough for Amantha. "The wards are going up now."

"Tonks, tell that group over there that they are too far forward," Amelia ordered.

"Right away, Boss," Tonks replied, already on her way to relay the information.

"Did Susan give you any last minute orders, Amantha?" Amelia asked.

"No, Ma'am, but that might be because I made sure to stay out of her way before we left."

"So I can order you to take the right flank?"

"No, Ma'am, Thomas made sure I know what my duties are in his absence. I take the right flank, only if you do."

Amelia quietly snorted in amusement.

"I'm going to miss you and Thomas when I retire, Amantha."

"Part of my job is to be sure you have that chance, Ma'am. But I'm pretty sure I am going to retire when you do. I like the guy the Minister has pegged to replace you, but no one will ever be able to actually replace _you_."

"And Thomas?"

"It has been long enough that if he hasn't completely healed by now, we don't think he ever will. He filed for a medical discharge just before we went to the Reserve and picked up the kids."

"And the wedding?"

"We haven't talked that far yet, but I think over Christmas break, so you can be invited."

Amantha paused and changed the subject. "Ma'am, we have heard from Luna, the ritual is about to end."

"Right, here we go."

"Tonks," Amelia addressed the freshly-returned Auror, "go reinforce the right flank, they are weak."

– – (()) – –

"You ready, Fred?" Harry whispered.

"I'm ready, but I think I wish I had some dung bombs to throw," Fred whispered back. "You guys take care of Tommy boy. I'm going to take care of any pretty green spells that come our way."

"George?"

"I'm ready as well, Harry."

"Daphne, you take your team and head to the right after we fall back behind the defensive line, we will head to the left."

"Right, Harry, and when we get home, I expect a very improper kiss."

"I'll have Luna administer one then, it can't get much more improper than that."

"Prat!"

"Harry, I'm not at all sure I like the idea of you handing out my kisses to other people..."

"I don't know, Daphne, I don't think your kisses are improper."

"Hermione!"

All talk stopped when Luna raised her wand and started casting her follow-ball spell. All six of the clan's strike teams soon had their surprise for Voldemort ready to go, while the twins assumed a position, just to the side and in front of the spell casters, ready to act as guards.

– – (()) – –

"Now, Bill!" Evan exclaimed from where he was watching the action through some infrared goggles.

Bill didn't reply, but put the butt of his weapon on the ground, adjusted the angle of the barrel and pulled the trigger.

_Thump_

Both Bill and Evan then removed their goggles and Bill reloaded.

– – (()) – –

_Thump_

"That's the signal, start casting on Three."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three! Reducto!"


	22. Chapter 21: Battle

**Chapter 21: Battle**

**A/N:**

This is a very short chapter and it ends in a cliffy. Next chapter should be posted tomorrow. Please note, I did not try to describe the battle. Several other authors have done better jobs at describing fights than I can. Rather than that, I actually tried to focus some on the people left behind.

**The Ministry**

"What is the meaning of this Octavius?" Albus asked as he was escorted into one of the fortified safe houses he knew the Ministry kept. "I was..."

"Sorry, Chief Warlock," Octavius interrupted him. "The Ministry is going into lockdown. You and several other Wizengamot members will be leaving here and heading to a different safe house just as soon as we can get enough of you together."

"Is Voldemort attacking?"

"Actually it's the other way around this time. A battle is just starting between Tom Riddle and Ministry forces. I am ordering as many Wizengamot members into safe houses that I can get."

"I should remain with you then, we might not agree on many things, but I am very good at organizing information."

Octavius thought for a moment and nodded.

"Have you alerted St Mungo's to expect injured?" Albus asked as he took in the groups of people huddled about the room.

"No, actually, I didn't think of that. Perkins! Perkins, make sure St Mungo's is notified that there is a major battle being fought and to expect injured."

Octavius turned back to Albus. "Thanks."

"Why was I not informed about this fight earlier, Minister?"

"Because several of us, including myself, felt you would do your best to prevent the fight from happening. According to the Goblins, the Unspeakables and others, this will be the best chance we have to finally, really kill Tom Riddle."

"The Lovegood seer is your other source?"

Octavius snorted. "Yes, the Lovegood seer is one of the planners of this operation. It was too much to expect you would be unable to piece together some of what we have going on."

"Voldemort will not go down easily, you know," Albus said, accepting the backhanded compliment as his due.

"No, you are right, he, and his forces are going to make it difficult. We know of at least one team of Death Eaters that are trying to pull Aurors away from the battlefield by attacking and killing, which is why you and I, and several other important members of the Wizengamot are now in hiding."

"Minister, we have heard from the Muggles. Only one boat got through, and we believe only five of the attackers made it ashore. They say all five were killed by the anti-terrorist forces they had in place."

"Muggles? You went to the Muggle government?" Albus asked, aghast.

"Yes, I went to the non-magical government, and it turns out it was a good thing I did. They were making plans to destroy Tom themselves, and if that had happened, they were also planning to take over the Ministry as it was incompetent and was proving to be a threat to their safety."

While Albus was digesting that, Octavius turned to the minor official that had made the report. "Thank them for me, and let the team of Aurors that are on standby know they can relax a bit."

"Now, Albus, let me brief you on what I know, and you can help me find anything else I missed..."

**Tom Riddle**

The freshly re-embodied Tom Riddle, the self-named Lord Voldemort, was not happy. Actually he was borderline enraged. He had not even been able to complete his first stretch before the spells started raining down on his people. That was to be expected. No one could point to the leak in his forces, but someone was feeding information to the Ministry.

The number of casters arrayed against his forces was worrisome though… so the forces from France had been caught or neutralized, and that was bad news. And the Ministry forces were not pulling their spells. While they were not throwing the green of the killing curse around, Tom did not see any stunners flying either.

And the Ministry fools had some strange light spell in use, casting enough light so that his forces were visible, while forces attacking him remained clothed in shadows.

That was bad enough, but what was really making Tom mad was that his own group; the people around him were also under fire from somewhere. His group was too far from the lines to be easy targets. They were too far to be even poor targets, yet the rat had already fallen to a reductor curse and Nagini had just been beheaded by a severing charm.

And he was weak, very weak. His magic was just a trickle of what it should be.

"Well?" Tom growled.

"Anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards are up all around us, my Lord."

"Release the pack and the trolls, you fool."

The man's reply was lost as a concussive wave struck all them from behind. Tom howled his rage as the great Lord Voldemort was forced to crawl on his hands and knees in order to find and pick his wand back up. At least the pack was loose, though he could only hear them as from a distance with the ringing in his ears, but he could hear them.

After casting a simple shield and bubblehead charm, Tom looked up in time to see some of the trolls file out of the disillusioned building where they had been hidden. Only, as the fourth troll turned to charge up the hill at the annoying little wizards, there was a flash of light and, again, a force that was too loud to be called a sound. When Tom cleared the spots from his eyes, that troll, one of the toughest types of creatures to hurt magically, was on his knees looking down in some confusion at the bloody mess his stomach had become. Another troll was just shaking his head to clear it when it rocked back as a wound appeared on his chest, followed by a second blossom of blood just lower. As that troll started to collapse, another of those light spells appeared overhead, illuminating the battlefield with its eerie lights and shadows.

"My Lord!" one of his followers shouted, although Tom, Lord Voldemort, could only just make out the words. What the man was going to say was lost, however, as he fell forward from a different force than those killing sound waves. His back had become a type of bloody mash. Someone had managed to land a blasting curse to his back.

But what was it he had seen? Just before the man had died, Tom had seen a flash of purple. Looking up Tom, Lord Voldemort, the greatest dark lord in England's history saw three purple balls of light about to strike him...

**Battlefield Chaos**

… tick … tick … tick … Robyn stared at the clock wishing for some kind of news.

– – (()) – -

"You got him, Harry!" Luna reported as whole universes of bad things fell away from the time lines with the death of Tom Riddle.

"Great, fall back as we agreed!" Harry exclaimed.

– – (()) – –

"The last couple of trolls are too close to our lines for me to help, Evan, do you have them? I need to send up another illumination flare."

"I've got them, Bill."

– – (()) – –

"The kids are falling back as you ordered, Ma'am. They feel sure they got the bastard."

"When they get far enough back, send one of their protection teams around to the far side. That group is being hit hard."

"Right, Ma'am, and the other?"

"Have them pull back to this position, so we can send them in wherever they may be needed."

– – (()) – –

… tick … tick … tick … "Thomas?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger, I know this is hard, but there is no way to check on how the battle is going without endangering everything."

… tick … tick … tick ...

– – (()) – –

"Remind me to invest a bit more into WWW", Fred," Harry gasped as the killing curse aimed at Luna was intercepted by the red head's defensive block that just happened to be shaped like a rubber duck.

"Later, Harry, I'm busy now!"

"Right. _Dimittere!"_

– – (()) – –

"George, I could kiss you!"

"Save your kisses for Tracey, Blaise, I'm not interested in yours."

– – (()) – –

"Damn it, Amantha! Get off of me!"

"It might not have been a Killing Curse, but I'm not going to let it get you if I can help it."

"Amantha, only Harry's group know how to make their curses change direction. Once we dodge it, it won't hurt us."

"Sorry, Ma'am, I've been training against them for too long to just ignore a spell once it goes past."

– – (()) – –

"Tonks!"

– – (()) – –

"Beth, there are a couple coming in from our left, and I need to re-load!"

"I see them, lover!"

– – (()) – –

"Ma'am, all the teams report that all of the trolls have been eliminated. None of them even got close to our teams."

"And the werewolves?"

"Not as good there, Ma'am, there are several still active. And they are learning, they are dodging and using cover now."

– – (()) – –

"What did you do, Bill?"

"I put one of those signal flares up the back of a werewolf. He was hiding from the group in front of him, but he had his back to me and didn't think anything could get him from our lines. I'm glad I can't see what is actually happening to him right now."

"Can you put another flare in the middle of that group of wizards to the left? I think that would startle them enough that our teams could pick them off."

"I'll try; I'm not that good at pinpoint stuff."

"A grenade launcher isn't designed for it, Bill, you're doing fine."

"Why aren't you shooting any?"

"A person is not going to stop a bullet from this weapon at this range. The bullet could quite likely travel on and hit one of our forces."

_Thump_

"Ah, sort of like I can't use any of the grenades since our folks would be affected by the blast."

"Exactly. Good job, almost exactly where I wanted it. Now..."

"Now is time for another illumination flare, then tell me where to go after that."

– – (()) – –

… tick … tick … tick … "Blah!"

"Narcissa?"

"Find some firewhiskey, it is time to get drunk."

"It won't help, we didn't want the kids to get into any. I had Severus get rid of what he had."

"Blah!"

… tick … tick … tick …

– – (()) – –

"Tracey has been hurt, Blaise, you heal, I can take this."

– – (()) – –

"Hermione?"

"It hurts, Luna, but I can stop the bleeding and I'll be able to fight on."

– – (()) – –

"Damn, where did they come from? Amantha, tell all the teams we have a group trying to break out on our right flank and to reinforce them as much as they can."

"Looks like they have four werewolves leading the charge."

"Damn! We are heading that direction as well!"

– – (() – –

… tick … tick … tick … Robyn paced the hall, one step for every tick of the clock.

– – (()) – –

"Beth?"

"Sorry, lover, they are too far away, and if we try to follow, we would be considered a foe and cut down as well. Let me reload both pistols and then you circle around to help."

– – (()) – –

"George! Blaise, George is down!"

"Right, Daphne, AHHHH!"

Daphne turned and watched as a wizard/werewolf broke through the line of Aurors in front of her and leaped at her...

– – (()) – –

… tick … tick … tick … Narcissa joined Robyn in the pacing, but only long enough to pull the worried woman back down into a chair.

– – (()) – –

"Harry! They broke through right where Daphne's team was fighting."

"Luna, concentrate, we have some wizards trying to breakthrough here as well."

– – (()) – –

"Evan? Evan what do you see? Tell me!"

– – (()) – –

"Daphne?... George?... Blaise?

– – (()) – –

"Merlin help us."

"Don't just stand there Remus, she is bleeding out, start healing!"

"Yes, Severus."

– – (()) – –

… tick … tick … tick ... Thomas gave Robyn and Narcissa a calming potion; the third one they had consumed that night.


	23. Chapter 22: Clean up

**Chapter 22: Clean up**

**A/N:**

This is the end of the special posts... Next post is on Monday.

**Reports**

"We've got some reports from the battle, Minister. The Unspeakables say You-Know-Who is truly dead and a junior Auror called to say nearly all of his forces died as well since they would not surrender," a frazzled aid exclaimed while trying to make sense of multiple reports from multiple people.

"I begin to understand why Amelia refused to really talk to me after the fight at the Burrow," Octavius mused. "It was much better when I could get a briefing on the whole fight instead of piecemeal. Try to find out how many injured and dead there are."

"Yes, Minister."

"Send that response team of healers that Albus thought of to the battle site."

"Yes, Minister."

"And find out if Amelia Bones is still alive, and let her know I would like some information when she has a moment."

"Yes, Minister."

– – (()) – –

"Madam Bones?"

"Yes?" Amelia didn't look up from the healing she was doing to Amantha's arm.

"The Minister's compliments, he would like some information when you have the time."

That did get Amelia's attention. "What? Is that how he phrased his request?"

"His exact words were: 'find out if Amelia Bones is still alive, and let her know I would like some information when she has a moment', Ma'am."

"Well, what do you know, a Minister that pays attention. Please give my respects to the Minister, and let him know that I and most of the Auror force are alive, but also that nearly all of us are hurt in some way and exhausted. We won the battle, and from what we have figured out, we have also won the war. I will be in touch when my injuries have been seen to, and I have more accurate information."

"Yes, Ma'am".

"Boss, a contingent of healers just arrived, courtesy of St Mungo's and the Chief Warlock."

"… And here I was just beginning to think there was nothing Albus could do to make me like him again. Have the Unspeakables bring down the wards."

– – (()) – –

"Mr. Granger, Mr. Weasley, what can you report?" The Major asked for the assembled group of government and military personnel.

"Everyone agrees that Tom Riddle was killed during the fight. Actually quite early in the fight as it turns out," Evan answered. "We don't have a final casualty report as the injured were still being seen to when we left. Both the M82 and M79 worked as promised. None of the trolls even got within striking range of our forces. And the _g_renades did a job against the wizards as well."

"Do you think any of the enemy escaped and will be a problem in our future?"

"No, Sir. All the reports we have are that none of them escaped. If there were some that were not present during the fight, I don't know about them."

"Good, you can report that the French were able to prevent two of the boats from leaving, and our forces either turned away or sank six of the other boats before they got into position. We also sank the last boat, but five from that boat made it ashore. They were cut down before they had a chance to figure out something was wrong."

– – (()) – –

Robyn was past being scared to death when the fireplace finally flared to life and Amantha tumbled through.

"It is four o'clock in the morning, we have..." The rest of her tirade was forgotten as she took in the young Auror's appearance.

"Amantha, are you okay, love?" Thomas asked.

"I've been better, and I will be better. Right now I hurt in places I didn't know I had. I came as soon as Madam Bones let me with what news I have.

The first thing is, we won. Tom is dead; the Unspeakables have managed to confirm it. Secondly, Harry's team only suffered minor injuries. Hermione will likely end up with a bit of a scar on her left arm, but they are all going to be fine. After the fight they all pitched in to help with the injured and are all exhausted. Now they have been given some sleeping potions right there at the field hospital they set up. I expect they won't wake up until noonish and will come home then.

Bill and Mr. Granger were total untouched, but they had to return the non-magical weapons and Mr. Granger expected he would be required to give an after action report or he would be home already. Once he is done with his report, Bill will be bringing him here."

"Daphne?" Robyn asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know, Mrs. Granger. All of the people in her team were hurt. George will need an arm regrown in a week or so, and it took several pain potions to help him. Blaise has re-hurt his head, but the healers believe he will be fine in a couple of days. Tracey has been transferred to St Mungo's, but she was stable when they transferred her, so she should be fine in time."

"And Daphne?"

"Daphne was alive when she was transferred to St Mungo's, Mrs. Granger, but she was also the second person to be transferred there."

Thomas groaned, which caught Robyn's attention.

"Thomas?"

"That means she was one of the most severely injured people that were still alive, Mrs. Granger."

"But what about the serum of life?" Robyn asked. "I know Severus had several doses."

"As I understand it, Daphne was bleeding too heavily; she might not have lived long enough for the serum to start working. And Severus was exhausted when the healer got to them. It is a policy that St Mungo's healers will only use potions on their patients that they have tested themselves." Amantha tried to explain.

"What about Severus?" Narcissa could not wait any longer.

"He is also exhausted, Miss. Black. If Daphne lives, it is because Potions Master Snape poured every bit of his magic into keeping her alive until the qualified healers could get to her. He will likely be out for more than a day, but other than a couple of cuts and something Mr. Granger called a powder burn or two he is physically fine."

Narcissa relaxed back into her chair as she actually let some tears fall.

"Take me to …" Robyn started only to be interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger, but St Mungo's has declared a lockdown because of the number of injured. Unless you're hurt, really badly hurt, no one is getting in the doors. I expect it will be late tomorrow if not the day after before you will be able to check on Daphne. The longer we don't hear anything though, the more likely Daphne will still be alive."

"Who do we know that died?" Thomas asked quietly.

"Several, and Junior Auror Tonks was the fourth person transferred to St. Mungo's."

"Did she step in the way of a spell to protect the boss?"

"No, Madam Bones sent her off to reinforce our right flank before the fighting even started. And the witch obeyed that order. No one we know got though without some injury."

"How many of the Death Eaters managed to escape?"

– – (()) – –

"As near as we can tell, none of the Death Eaters escaped. We are only holding fifteen for trial, as every other Death Eater involved in the fight refused to surrender and we had to kill them or let them kill us, Minister," Amelia answered.

"So to summarize: Tom Riddle was killed; all of the trolls were killed; all but one of the werewolves was killed; around fifty Death Eaters were killed; fifteen Death Eaters have surrendered; fifteen of your force of fifty died; and another fifteen were hurt badly enough to require some treatment at St Mungo's. What about your non-government personnel?"

"Five curse-blockers were badly injured, and one of Harry Potter's teams was hurt, with one team member being critically hurt. To the best of my knowledge, none of the non-government people died. But Daphne is very questionable."

"How many where injured?"

Amelia swayed and sat in a chair. "Normally I would ask for a clarification, but in this case I can say that all of us have some injury or another. Most were minor, but I don't know of anyone that came through un-scathed."

"Get to bed, Amelia, you and yours did themselves proud tonight. The rest of the information can wait until you are recovered. I accepted your retirement as of today, so you don't need to come in until you are ready."

"Minister?" an aid called as Octavius' assistant helped Amelia out the door. "The non-magical government would like to know when you will be able to meet with them about some of the non-pressing issues now that the biggest issues seem to have been taken care of."

"Tell them that I would like three days to prepare, and ask that the meeting be held no earlier than ten."

"Yes, Sir."

"You're going to meet with the Muggle government, Octavius?" Albus asked.

"It is a part of the deal I made to get some non-magical help. And since that help really did help, I am going to keep up my part of the bargain. And an idea has been floated across my desk that I think will help get them off of our backs. But I'm going to need those three days to refine it into something both they and the Wizengamot will accept."

**Waiting - Mending**

Bill returned Evan to his wife's waiting arms, and then returned to the battlefield to offer whatever help he could provide, taking Thomas with him. This left Narcissa to witness the complete breakdown Robyn experienced. Evan seemed to expect it and hoisting his hysterical wife in his arms, the two of them headed upstairs, leaving Narcissa to tend to the young Auror.

Fortunately, Amantha didn't need much in the way of help; she had been given a pain potion and a sleeping potion by the St Mungo's healers before she had left to report to the Grangers. All Narcissa had to do was help the young woman upstairs. Narcissa did stay long enough to help change one of the dressings on the Auror's left arm, and Amantha was asleep without needing the sleeping potion before Narcissa came back downstairs.

Having nothing else to do, Narcissa picked up one of the well worn books from the shelves and read the title. "Much Ado About Nothing"

– – (()) – –

"Auntie! Let me help!"

"Susan, please don't hover over your aunt!" Neville startled his betrothed. "She doesn't look up to one of your can't breathe hugs."

Amelia smiled at the young man and limped away from the fireplace to collapse into one of the cushioned chairs in the room.

"I am going to be fine, Susan, but as Neville observed, I'm not at my best right now."

"Would you like a house elf to assist you upstairs to your bed?" Neville asked as Susan glowered while trying to not hover over her aunt.

"No, I would like to stay down here for a while. Your idea of having curse-blockers saved the day again, Neville. Now, Hannah, why don't you tell me how you managed to keep Susan contained today? The more embarrassing the tale the better. I really want to re-connect to living. I saw far too much death today."

– – (()) – –

Luna slowly woke to the feelings of being loved and safe. 'Harry', Luna thought as she tried to settle into his arms only to discover Harry was holding her hand instead of wrapping her in their normal cuddling cocoon.

"Luna?"

"Harry, I'm the one that is normally up first, what are you doing awake?"

"I was watching my lady sleep. You are the last of our team to wake, Luna, and I am sure Hermione wants to get home and cry on her mum's shoulders."

That was right, they had all fought last night, and the other team had been hurt.

"Harry? Have we heard anything about Daphne or Tracey?"

"Not much. Tracey and Blaise are expected to be released tomorrow morning, and the last we heard Daphne was holding her own but still critical. Tonks is much the same way, holding her own, but still critical. The Healer's aren't sure she will ever walk again."

"And our Potions Master? I seem to recall he was unmoving, but not with the dead."

"They gave him a dose of dreamless sleep. He wasn't hurt in the fight, but he exhausted himself working to save Daphne. The healers all agree that he is the only reason she is still alive."

Luna cracked her eyes open looked into her Harry's eyes, and promptly forgot what she was about to say.

Harry must have realized that as he smirked and leaned in for a light kiss that ended too soon.

"Let me help you sit up, milady."

"Why thank you, Harry, my knight in shining armor."

"Look, Luna is moving." Hermione's voice said.

Looking around Luna found she was in a tent with lines of camp beds filling the space. It looked like half of the beds were occupied, but none of the occupants were wrapped in bandages, and there didn't seem to be many healers working around. In fact most of the people sleeping seemed to be healers.

"Where are we?" Luna asked as Hermione crossed the short distance from where she had been sitting with Fred.

"This is where the exhausted have been sleeping, Luna," Hermione said as she wrapped Luna in a right armed hug. Hermione's left arm was wrapped with some kind of a bandage, and although it was not too large, it served as a reminder that they had all been fighting for their lives the previous night.

"Now I know you are just waking up, but I would really like to go home, Luna."

"Hermione, you don't need to wait for me, you know."

"Well, actually, I think I do. Mum will be very glad to see me, but if I left you lot here she would be on my case to come back and bring you home."

"How is your mum going to handle it as we start to disperse, Hermione?"

"Poorly, I think. Although she and Daddy have been planning something, they had our Potions Master take them to the Ministry once without the rest of us."

Fred had come up and knelt by Luna's cot. "Now that you're awake, I'm heading over to see Dad and then to see George."

"Come talk to me if the healers give George a hard time about paying for his treatment. I got a promise from the Minister of Magic that they will pay for the healing of all injuries received during this fight, Fred," Harry said as Fred got up to leave.

"Will do, Harry, Thanks."

"Hermione, I know you want to head home, but there is one more of us to wake, and based on what I've just heard, he doesn't deserve to awake alone."

– – (()) – –

Severus Snape slowly came awake to find several people seated around the cot he had collapsed onto. Harry Potter was sitting on the next cot over that also had a smiling Luna sitting on it. They were talking to the werewolf and his lady wolf, Beth, while Bill and Hermione were leaning against each other and talking quietly to themselves.

Luna must have noticed his movement as she refocused on his cot, and her smile grew even wider.

"Sir, I am glad you decided to wake up," Luna said as she turned slightly to face him. "We've been waiting for you. It didn't seem right for us to go back without our hero."

"Hero?" Severus managed to choke out as he sat up.

Beth, who was the closest physically to the head of his cot, reached over and handed him a flask, telling him that according to the healers it was just water.

Severus nodded his thanks as he quickly drank the contents and tried again. "Hero? I didn't..."

"We have just heard back from St Mungo's, Severus, that Daphne turned a corner in the last couple of hours. The healers are sure she will live. And everyone here knows that the only reason she was alive when the healers got to her was because you willed her to be," Remus explained. "I saw what you did, and I'm not sure I believe what I saw."

"For a wizard that doesn't allow much silly wand waving in your classes, you turned out to be pretty powerful," Bill chipped in as he and Hermione resettled to face Severus' cot.

"What about Tracey and Blaise?" Severus asked. "They also looked pretty bad."

"Uncle Remus managed to stabilize Blaise and George, and Blaise had stabilized Tracey before he went down. We're just glad that they weren't flinging the killing curse around right then," Luna said, filling in the blanks. "We think they had agreed to use other, less deadly, curses since the chances of hitting each other with their spells were higher."

"So we didn't lose anyone? Anyone from the clan, I mean?"

"No, we didn't. Daphne was touch and go, but since it looks like she will live, the clan remains whole. Thank you, Sir."

"I did what needed to be done."

"We all did what needed to be done, but you kept Daphne alive for us, and that's special."

– – (()) – –

The mood at the Reserve was buoyant. They were still missing some important members, but the news that Daphne would live, along with the return of some of the members that took part in the fight, served to lessen the impact of the missing clan members. Severus was given a hero's welcome and so was totally uncomfortable for the entire evening until Narcissa took him in hand and led him to his room. While there were some sly looks when Narcissa didn't return, most of the room were just quietly happy to still be alive and with friends.

– – (()) – –

Bill and Hermione wondered why Robyn and Evan had asked them to join them in the room they used as a sitting room, and entered together while holding hands. They hadn't managed to get any alone time since the fight, but they had been able to get some squeezes and light kisses in.

They found Robyn and Evan already sitting in a loveseat. Robyn's eyes weren't back to normal from all the crying she had been doing in the last twenty-four hours, but she no longer looked haunted. She hadn't strayed from Evan's side at all if possible and even now she had one of Evan's hands held tightly by both of hers.

"Are you going to be okay, Mum?" Hermione asked.

"I am, but I expect it will be a few more days before I'm ready to let your father out of my sight. I'm not cut out to be a wife that waits at home for her man to come home to her."

"Bill," Evan said even as he squeezed Robyn's hands with his, "we warned Hermione before the fight that this was coming, but it was as we were leaving."

Bill noticed that Hermione snuggled into his side, which surprised him since they were with her parents.

"We were originally worried about your age differences when you two started to grow more than fond of each other," Robyn said as she picked up the thread from Evan seamlessly. "I know you tend to have longer lives and in a decade or so your age difference won't mean as much, but it's a huge difference right now."

"But you have helped my daughter grow, and the two of you work well together, so you have our blessings." Evan managed to get the meat of the discussion. "We don't really expect you to run out and get married tomorrow, and I know I don't think I will be ready for you to present me with grandchildren anytime soon..."

"That is right, no grandchildren for a bit please," Robyn chimed in.

Bill had to sit down as he hadn't expected this kind of acceptance yet. Hermione took advantage of her new permissions and promptly sat on his lap and kissed him gently before turning back to her parents.

"Thanks, Mum, Dad. I'm not ready for marriage quite yet, and that means no children for a bit as well, but I'm sure of whom I intend to marry..."

"Minx," Bill had to add, fondly. "Thank you for your blessings, especially since Evan knows I'm not really employed right now.

"Well..." Robyn said slyly. "We might have an idea or two for you..."

– – (()) – –

Daphne knew she should be dead. That werewolf had torn her throat out. While she was not upset that she was still alive, she didn't know how it was possible. As she started trying to make sense, of her surroundings, she discovered she was in a hospital bed, which meant she was at St Mungo's, and as near as she could tell, she had several parts of her body covered with bandages and her head seemed to be immobilized. Since Daphne believed her neck had been severely damaged, she guessed there was good reason to keep her head still.

She heard a noise and using her eyes looked as much as she could and felt a burst of joy. Blaise and Tracey both entered her vision.

"Healer Rage, Daphne's eyes are open and are following us," Tracey called back in the direction she had come.

"They are?" asked an unfamiliar voice, and a young man with light brown hair and an unremarkable face pushed by Tracey and Blaise.

"So they are. Welcome back to the world, you had us very worried for a while there, Daphne. You will be seeing quite a bit of me for the next couple of days. Now to answer the questions I expect you have: you will be fine, there will be some scarring around your throat that we will not be able to heal for a couple of years but we will be able to take care of it eventually; your friends are all either fine or healing well, these two could have left earlier but did not want you to be alone when you woke up.

Daphne looked back to Blaise and Tracey and smiled at them before transferring her attention back to the healer.

"Your throat was your most critical injury, but you have received some additional injuries as well. We believe the werewolf was planning on enjoying your body a bit before moving on as he had ripped at your clothes and you suffered some deep scratches to one of your breasts. They are healing just fine. Your attacker was killed before he was able to actually assault you, which should ease your mind somewhat. Whoever killed your attacker then poured his magic into you to keep you alive until we could start treating you."

"Snape was magically exhausted when the healers got to you. Lupin arrived just after our Potions Master and took care of Blaise and George before helping with you," Tracey added. "Now that you are awake we are going to return to the Reserve and let everyone there know that you have finished with your beauty nap. So you can expect several visitors in a little while."

Daphne smiled again, and even as she felt healer Rage adjust her bandages, she fell back asleep, this time with a slight smile on her face.


	24. Chapter 23: All is not well

**Chapter 23: All is not well **

**A/N:  
**

Some reviewers asked if Daphne is going to be a werewolf. No, the ritual was on the new moon, not a full moon. Much like Bill in Canon, she is going to like her meat more on the rare side and bloody, but she is not a werewolf. Since one of the reviewers that asked has their PM turned off, I couldn't response to him/her directly, but since others might have the same question, I thought a quick note could be used. Throughout this tale I have been using the common theme where werewolves are stronger, quicker and more spell resistant than a normal witch or wizard, even when not transformed by the full moon.

**Visits**

The next time Daphne awoke there was someone new was in the room; someone Daphne had refused to think about for quite a while.

"Sister," Daphne managed to croak out.

Astoria looked up from the book she was reading, stood and gracefully glided over to Daphne.

Astoria gave Daphne a half smile. "No matter what else happens, sister, I am very happy you are alive and healing."

Astoria's smile slipped away. "I don't know what to do, Daphne. You left us in a bit of a lurch when you ran from the Malfoys. Dad was furious and was threatening to disown you. But before that happened, he died as a Death Eater while attacking a muggle family. Mum was arrested when she refused to let the Aurors search the house. The next thing I know, I had been shipped off to the Zabinis. But with Blaise also missing, Mrs. Zabini played it smart and kept her head down. Now I find out you have been fighting against what our parents intended. You won, too, I might add.

Anyway, I'm not too sure what is going to happen next. I don't know what is going to happen to _me_ next. I'm hoping you'll be able to find someplace to put me. Mrs. Zabini is likely already in Italy. She was packing while cursing her son for leaving her in the lurch as well."

"Where?" Daphne managed to croak.

"School has been postponed for a bit, and I have needed to live by my wits for the last couple of days. It has not been comfortable."

The discussion was derailed as Hermione and Luna entered the room, intending to cheer their friend.

"Daphne, you will never guess..." Hermione had started to say until she realized Daphne wasn't alone. "Oh, hello."

"You're Astoria I think," Luna said as she blinked somewhat in surprise. Her seeings were becoming infrequent, and that worried her. "Daphne's younger sister."

"Um, yes, I'm Astoria."

"I'm Luna, and this is Hermione Granger, Astoria," Luna completed the introductions.

"Mione!" Daphne croaked.

"Daphne, what?" Hermione asked as she approached her friend's bed.

"Sis, Reserve," was all Daphne was able to get out.

"Of course, your sister will be welcome at the Reserve, Daphne," Luna said, catching on to the fact Astoria was in crumpled clothing and didn't look well.

"I..." Astoria was shocked at being accepted so easily.

"Sister!" Daphne croaked once more even as a stab of pain indicated she was speaking too much.

Hermione noticed the pain as it flitted across her friend's face.

"Don't worry, Daphne, we will take care of your sister."

"Miss Astoria Greengrass," Luna said, using a seldom needed tone of voice.

"Um, yes?"

"We would be pleased to take you into our place while your sister is healing." Luna used a more formal presentation, remembering how both Tracey and Daphne and been uncomfortable with the informal banter they had found in her and Harry when they had first arrived at the Reserve.

Daphne smiled at the more formalized address Luna had used, while Hermione looked puzzled, but kept quiet, trusting Luna.

"I am most grateful for the offer, Miss Luna. "Astoria faltered as she realized she did not know Luna's family name, but she continued. "It should only be until Hogwarts is ready to reopen."

"You will be welcome for as long as is needed, Miss Astoria, since your sister has forged a firm place therein for both herself and any family she designates," Luna continued.

Astoria glanced gratefully towards her sister. "Thank you, sister."

Daphne smiled as well and lifted her hand, although not far as it was under the covers. Luna and Astoria both noticed and managed to un-cover Daphne's arm and hand which grabbed Astoria's hand.

"My Sister," she croaked.

"My Sister," Astoria echoed.

"Hermione?" Luna asked. "Can you escort our new guest home? I'm sure if you get Bill and our potions master in for the introductions, they can help your parents and you understand what is going on."

Hermione nodded her agreement, and turned to Astoria. "I'm Hermione, and if you agree, I can escort you to your new home."

"Can you say it is my new home?" Astoria asked.

"Not I, but it is Luna's place, and she can and did say it can be."

That startled Astoria, and she turned back to Luna. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Daphne worried about you several times, but it there was never a time we could try to contact you," Luna answered. "She is going to take a while to heal, and having you close by will help her greatly."

"Will I still go to school?"

"We, at the Reserve, are not planning to go back to Hogwarts. There will be too many that would dislike what we have accomplished, so we will be gathering several tutors. You will be welcome to join us for them."

"That means a lot to me, thank you," Astoria said as she left with Hermione.

"I'm glad you are doing better, Daphne, you had us scared for a while," Luna started as she moved to stand at the end of the bed, where Daphne could see her more easily. "I do have a bit of gossip to share; it seems Narcissa decided she didn't want to wait any longer for our Severus Snape to make a move. She 'attended' to his injuries all last night..."

– – (()) – –

"Do you have any of your things somewhere, Astoria?" Robyn asked. "If we can retrieve them, it would make you feel so much better."

"The Aurors closed our house when Mum was arrested. I was taken in by a family friend, but with your victory over the Pure-bloods and the Death Eaters, she has left the country," Astoria explained, hoping to get the fact that she had been housed by the people that were opposing these people out into the open.

"Thomas, do you think the Aurors would let us in to gather some of Astoria's clothes and personal things?" Evan asked.

"Amantha is still on the force, and as soon as she wakes up I can ask her," Thomas answered.

"I think you are too young to have been marked as a Death Eater, and you are Daphne's sister. We would welcome you as Daphne's sister even if you had been fighting us actively. But since you are too young, we hope it will be an easier transition for you," Robyn said.

– – (()) – –

Harry popped in to visit Daphne and gather Luna and was very surprised to find Luna not in the room with Daphne and a healer.

"Darn, it looks like I missed Luna, Daphne," Harry said as he walked over towards his injured but healing friend. "How much did I miss her by?"

Daphne's eyes popped wide open and she croaked, "Hours."

"Well, more like forty-five minutes," the healer interrupted. "I asked the young lady to leave while I worked on Miss Greengrass' injuries, and I have been working between forty and forty-five minutes."

"No!" Harry exclaimed, as the color dropped from his face. "Oh No!"

Harry turned and ran back out of the room and towards the front desk where the security station was located.

**Missing**

"Luna is missing!" Thomas reported to the clan members at the Reserve after answering Harry's frantic call. "Harry just reported that she is not at St Mungo's and has been gone long enough that she should be here. I'm going to wake Amantha."

– – (()) – –

"What do you mean, you let her get dragged away?" Harry asked the security guard that had last seen Luna.

"We are not allowed to interfere once they get through the door," the guard explained. "I reported what I saw to the shift supervisor and was told she had been reported as a runaway by Albus Dumbledore, and he was retrieving her."

"I need to contact the Aurors and report this; may I use your floo?" Harry asked, just barely holding on to his temper.

"Are you sure, sir?" the guard asked.

"Luna is an emancipated minor and head of the House of Lovegood, so yes I am sure she was not a runaway."

The guard's eyes opened wide and he leaned back against the wall, glad it kept him from falling. "Well, yes, then if that is who the Chief Warlock was holding, she was not a runaway. Please go ahead and use the floo."

It took a few moments to get through, but the dispatcher sent a team of Aurors over as soon as Harry explained Luna was emancipated.

Hermione, Bill, Thomas and Amantha all showed up while Harry was giving his statement to one the Aurors.

"Our Potions Master and Ms. Black are watching over Astoria," Hermione reported. "Blaise and Tracey have been sent to bed with some dreamless sleep potion since they were swaying and hardly able to stand."

They were all meeting in Daphne's room so Harry could bring everyone up to date with what he knew.

"The man planned this well," Harry said, giving the devil his due. "Luna is small enough and looks young enough to for him to play the Chief Warlock card and get everyone to ignore the fact he was dragging someone away while she protested."

"But he has to know we will learn who kidnapped her," Hermione puzzled out loud.

"It won't matter, Hermione," Thomas explained. "He thinks that his office of Chief Warlock will protect him. I found out that the Wizengamot is in special session right now and, even if we had absolute proof that it was the Chief Warlock that kidnapped Luna, we can't interrupt the session for anything less than treason. And kidnapping is not treason. I'm sure there will be some bill or law passed that will allow him to assume control of a minor if he feels it necessary. It is a standard procedure for him."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Harry asked.

"Well, yes. Madam Bones can enter the chamber, she has a seat beyond the one that she used as the head of the DMLE, so they can't refuse her entrance. Your friend Neville as the Head of the House of Black can as well. And I will contact Narcissa as she has a block of votes..."

– – (()) – –

Albus knew he was in trouble when Amelia, Narcissa and Neville entered the room together just as he was about to call his proposal to a vote. Fifteen minutes later and he would have been untouchable. But he was not going to get those fifteen minutes.

Amelia interrupted the person speaking. "Excuse me, Chief Warlock, but I'm afraid I must protest that I was not informed of this meeting. This is not the normal meeting date and time, so I would like a summary of what you have accomplished up until this time."

Madam Longbottom looked up from where Neville was whispering to her and shot Albus a mighty frown.

"As soon as we complete..." Albus started only to be interrupted.

"No! I object and demand you be removed from that chair, sir," Madam Longbottom thundered. "I accuse you of abuse of your position and corruption by trying to pass a law that allowed your abuse after the fact!"

The members of the Wizengamot whispered together as the old lady continued to play havoc with Albus' plans.

"I and all of my proxy votes vote no to this blatant attempt to justify your illegal actions."

"I and all of my proxy votes also vote no against this bill, Chief Warlock," Neville added.

"I and all of my proxy votes vote against this bill," Narcissa said, driving the last nail in the coffin that had become Albus' plans for recovering his positions and reputation.

"Order!" Octavius demanded from his position. "Madam Longbottom, please explain your outburst and accusations."

"Minister, it seems our Chief Warlock is wanted for questioning as he was the last person seen leading a struggling young woman away from St. Mungo's, a young woman who is now considered a missing person. If this bill, which the Chief Warlock introduced in this special session, had passed, the Chief Warlock could be held blameless. I demand we investigate the Chief Warlock's intentions. And since he is under suspicion, I feel the Wizengamot needs to suspend Albus Dumbledore from his position pending the results of the investigation," Augusta explained.

"Included in that investigation should be why several members of this body were not informed about this special session," Narcissa added. "Myself, Madam Bones and the Head of the House of Black were not notified."

The chambers of the Wizengamot grew chaotic as the different members started yelling back and forth while Octavius re-read the bill Albus had presented, reading the fine print of the riders and amendments as well as the main clauses.

After finishing, Octavius again demanded order.

"After reviewing of the bill in whole, I must agree there is a chance the Chief Warlock intended to excuse his actions by making them legal," Octavius announced to the chamber as it finally quieted. "Albus Dumbledore, you are wanted for questioning regarding the disappearance of a young woman. Until such time as you have been cleared of any wrongdoing, I am suspending you from your office as Chief Warlock. A group of several members of the Wizengamot, including myself, will be meeting with the DMLE later so you may be questioned. This bill is withdrawn from the agenda until such time as this missing person complaint has been satisfied."

Octavius looked over towards the fuming Augusta Longbottom. "The bill had not reached the point where it could be voted on, Madam, and I can't dismiss that bill because of your early votes."

Neville put his hand on his gran's arm to calm her before speaking. "Thank you, Minister, we understand. I would like to put forth that an investigation of the Chief Warlock's actions, past and present, should be performed while he is not able to influence or derail such an activity."

Albus looked up when he was nudged and discovered the new head of the DMLE, a young man loyal to Octavius, standing at his side with the Wizengamot's master-at-arms standing on his other side.

"Whether you leave the chamber now or later, you do need to vacate your current seat, sir."

Albus nodded, stood, and made his way down to the common floor of the Wizengamot to find a chair while Octavius asked if Neville's request should be added to the now empty agenda...

– – (()) – –

"Damn him!" Harry exclaimed as Amelia gave him the bad news.

"Say what you will, Harry. No one has ever accused Dumbledore of being dumb. And to be honest, he is correct, using the normal type of Veritaserum could kill him at his age, and the Ministry has not stored any of the truth serum designed for elderly adults for years. Also, as unlikely as it seems, Dumbledore did not have anything to do with the decision to not store any of the other potion. It is going to take a minimum of five more days to brew the needed potion, and there is nothing we can do about it," Amelia explained to the clan members. "The silver lining in this mess is that the Minister is refusing to re-instate Dumbledore as the Chief Warlock in the meantime, something that Albus was counting on. So while we are stuck, so is he.

"All he has to do is call Fawkes, and he would be away," Harry grumbled.

"He would also be the most wanted man in magical Britain, which is not something he wants. Right now the public opinion is mixed. No one wants to admit that they have been backing someone that is a kidnapper, but by the same token, Dumbledore has been the hero of the common witch and wizard for so long that they are sure there must be some mistake."

"It has already been three days and we have no idea where he took Luna."

"Luna's family holds no real political clout, so in spite of being an emancipated head; Luna's alleged kidnapping is just third or fourth page news. If we were not accusing Dumbledore of being the kidnapper, we wouldn't be getting any news coverage at all."

"So how do we turn up the heat?"

"It's too bad you are not actually married to Luna, we could play the Boy-Who-Lived card on top of the fact that the Potter family does carry some political power. Add to that the fact that you killed Tom again, and Dumbledore would be in a chamber and forced to take the Veritaserum whether it was safe for him or not," Narcissa added from her new place at Severus' side.

In spite of the serious discussion going on, everyone in the clan was enjoying the sight of Severus Snape falling in love with Narcissa Black. There was an open rumor that Severus had already approached Neville for permission to pay Narcissa his addresses.

"If it is important for Harry to be married to Luna, why doesn't Harry marry Luna?" Astoria asked from between Tracey and Blaise. It was still surprising to the younger of the Greengrass sisters that these people actually seemed to want her to voice her opinions, but she was not going to fight it.

"Well, there is the whole needing Luna to be present for the ceremony," Robyn said, smiling at the young girl.

"Luna is a pure-blooded witch, so according to the law she doesn't have to be here. Although since you say she is emancipated, we would need something that indicates her agreement," Astoria responded with a serious air.

"Lucius told me that law..." Narcissa started to say only to trail off.

"What?" Blaise asked. "I'm sure if Daphne's or Tracey's dads could have married them off without getting their consent they would have."

"I thought Lucius said that that law had been overturned, but what he really said was that the law was looked on with disfavor. And to clarify a bit, Blaise, consent is required for girls over the age of ten. Before the age of ten no consent is required," Narcissa explained while watching a memory only she could see.

"Luna did say she would marry Harry after Tom was really dead," Tracey mentioned. "We all heard her say it."

"You mean Harry can actually marry Luna without Luna being present?" Evan asked in disbelief.

"It is not something that is done often, but it stems from the old medieval laws that let fathers wed their daughters while the daughters were still infants. As you all know, the magical world is nothing if not stubborn about changing laws."

"So what are the ramifications of marrying Luna while she is not here?" Evan asked in a shocked voice.

"If we do that, I can contact Millicent's aunt. She said I was to contact her once Luna was 'both mine and lost'. I had forgotten that till just now," Harry exclaimed, a bit of hope creeping into his voice for the first time since Luna had disappeared.

**Finding Luna**

"Long's Crystal," a freshly married Harry Potter said as the flames turned colors from the floo powder. "Ms. Bulstrode, are you there?"

The room Harry could see looked much like it had when Harry had contacted Greg about removing the first part of the dark mark, with both Millicent Bulstrode and Gregory Goyle sitting in the room. But also in the room was an old and wrinkled crone. Millicent's Aunt Longs, Harry guessed.

"Potter, it is good to see you again," Goyle said, surprising Harry with the warmth in Greg's voice. "I can't tell you how much better I feel since I got that damned curse out of my arm."

"I'm glad to hear that, Goyle," Harry said. "But I am hoping I will be able to talk to Aunt Longs."

"So your lady is lost is she?" The crone crackled. "And is she yours?"

"Yes, Ma'am, Luna has been stolen by Dumbledore, who refuses to tell us where she is. And I have just married her using the old lines protection law."

"Hmm, it is good, you have completed both requirements and you did not need to be prompted. Are you also your Luna's anchor?"

"We used a modified ceremony, but yes, I am Luna's anchor."

"How was the ceremony modified? And who told you of the modifications?" Aunt Longs continued her probing.

"Severus Snape shared his family's ritual, one that was used if the seer was no longer a virgin when the need for an anchor was discovered. I believe he said it came from the Prince family scrolls," Harry answered the old woman respectfully.

"Why the modified ritual?"

"Neither of us felt that we are old enough for the demands that kind of intimacy would put on our relationship."

"Hmmm?"

"Meaning I'm going to be Luna's husband for the rest of my life, and I have no intention of pushing her faster than she wants to be pushed."

"You are a wiser young man than I expected. And I can't complain as young Greg has agreed to much the same thing with my Millie. It is good to see that some young men know how to control themselves."

"Still that is not why you are here," the old lady continued. "I promised your seer I would help if I could, and you have met the requirements I told your seer about. You even became her anchor before I needed to tell you it was important. That will help with the healing to come.

Your lady is lost and cold and I fear she has given up due to the outside pressures being put on her. Seek her where she should not be, but where you know one other has been sent."

"I will rip Dumbledore from limb to limb! He sent Luna to Azkaban!" Harry started to hyper-ventilate.

"No!"

"What?" Harry's rant came to a full stop at Aunt Longs' forceful interjection.

"You will not rip Dumbledore from limb to limb, it's what he expects. He is a crafty one, he is; he would use your assault to get himself pardoned. Use the law to your advantage. Accuse him and demand a full trial. He will agree as he feels he can manipulate the results."

"The DMLE already has charges against him for kidnapping, and if I refuse to let the courts combine the trials, he would need to defend himself twice; three times if I count the charges of theft from the Potter vaults."

"Good, now you are thinking. That will upset his plans nicely. Even if he gets away with the first two, the Goblins will still crucify him.

Dumbledore will be trying to invalidate your ability to press charges as he was the Chief Warlock when the crime was committed. Make sure he swears to answer you if you swear to answer his allegations."

"I can do that. Thank you very much, Aunt Longs, I need to see what it is going to take to get Luna away from the evil place."

**Luna Found**

"I, Harry James Potter, charge you, Albus Dumbledore, with sending my _wife_ to the prison of Azkaban without a trial."

The headlines of the Daily Prophet screamed doom and despair, while the caption under the picture of Harry Potter holding a comatose Luna Potter was just as bad.

"This is what happens if you follow Albus Dumbledore blindly."

Albus didn't have much to do but read and re-read the paper, He was in a high security cell in the depths of the Ministry. Albus had been taken from the floor of the Wizengamot in chains and even now still had a magic suppression collar around his neck after Harry's rather dramatic entrance.

Albus looked around at his cell again, not that there was anything new to see. Not that there was anything to see at all. The rectangular room was barely six feet across on one side and likely no more than seven feet across on the other. There was no chair. There was no room for a chair, just a cot with some blankets against one wall, a chamber pot currently shoved under that cot, and a very small table that always seemed to be in the way when Albus wanted to pace.

Currently Albus was not pacing, he was sitting on the edge of his cot reading the paper for the umpteenth time, trying to firm up his plan to get out of this mess.

He had only intended for the seer to be at Azkaban for an hour or two while he got the law changed to allow him to take control of any minors that were also seers, but when the Wizengamot had been interrupted, he could not contact the guard to send her back. When the guards had changed shifts, someone had put the seer in a normal prison cell and let the Dementors loose.

It was most unfortunate that the seer was so badly affected by the prison's unusual guards. Even when he came out of the coming court battles mostly un-touched, it was unlikely he would be able to use the seer to help bring the magical world back towards his Greater Good. Not only was she married now, and that was a blow to his plans as well, but it was likely her gift would be severely hindered.

A noise at the door to his cell attracted Albus' attention and the small aperture that allowed someone to see in and speak to him opened to show the solicitor Albus was using to communicate to the outside while he was caged here.

"Mr. Potter does not wish to combine any of your upcoming trials, Mr. Dumbledore."

"That makes no sense, why?" Albus asked, this could be a blow to his plans to get out of this cell.

"As Mr. Potter put it, he has three chances to see you crushed, and he feels he has better odds if he uses all three of them."

"Three?"

"He is charging you personally for sending his wife to Azkaban; the Ministry has charged you with kidnapping and abuse of your position as Chief Warlock; and finally it seems you need to answer to Potter again concerning some theft from his trust vaults with the Goblins providing most of the evidence in that case."

Albus sat there shocked. There had been so much going on; he had totally forgotten the charges of theft.

"And I'm afraid I need to bring some additional bad news, Albus. St. Mungo's is talking about filing charges against you for the harm you have done to their image."

"What harm I did?"

"Mr. Potter has let it be known that he no longer trusts St. Mungo's since the staff did nothing to prevent you from stealing Mrs. Potter."

"We can discount that charge, even if they bring it. They did let me walk through the halls with a struggling girl," Albus decided. "They are just making noise because they have to look like they are doing something."

"They are also changing their rules internally."

Albus shrugged at that. Even when he got out of charges brought by Potter, he would likely suffer some punishment for his abuse of his position. The current Wizengamot would not let him remain Chief Warlock no matter what tricks got him out of prison time. It might be years before he could try to run the government again. At his age, he might not have years. It was too bad Potter was so against him now. Albus would need to start training someone to replace him when he went on to his next adventure.

"Mr. Potter would like for you to face his charges against his wife first."

Again Albus shrugged, he felt sure he could get out of those charges by using some rules that protect the Minister and Chief Warlock from punishment. The kidnapping and abuse of his position charges being brought by the DMLE were the ones he needed to worry about. "I do not object to that. It will allow you more time to gather the other evidence I requested."

"That is going well. There have been at least six times in the past where the Ministry needed to step in when a seer started using his or her powers too early. And we haven't gotten through all of the cases yet. I'm not sure you will be acquitted as you acted prior to the bill being passed, but you shouldn't be sent to prison for it."

Albus nodded, pleased with that research. "I need you to gather some info on the theft case since it will not be folded into the other Potter case. He is charging me as Headmaster in that case so the same rules that should get me out of the first charge can't be applied. Professor McGonagall will be able to get some books from my office. I seem to recall a case in Hogwarts' history where the Headmaster was forgiven and the money had to be pulled from the school vaults. Somewhere around 1893 I think."

"I'll contact her, and have her ask the Board of Governors. If they refuse, I'll see what pressure I can get applied since it is your evidence, but that won't help for any other money you spent from the trust fund."

"I must really be slipping; I had forgotten Minerva hadn't been promoted."

- - (()) - -

"Have you heard from St Mungo's, Harry?" Robyn asked as she paced the floor.

"Yes, and I am not taking Luna there, even though they promise she won't be taken again. They would put her in a room with a thin blanket and wait to see if she wakes up. There is no treatment specific for exposure to Dementors. She is better off here, where we can try to warm her up. And we are constantly talking to her instead of leaving her alone."

Harry sat down on the chair he and Luna used to share, and stared at the fireplace.

"So there is no spell or potion we can use to help Luna?" Robyn asked as she sat as well.

"None that the people at St Mungo's were willing to tell me about, but based on the way they have 'treated' Neville's parents, I would guess not."

"I think we are helping her just the way we are, Mum," Hermione interrupted as she, Narcissa and Tracey came in from upstairs. "Miss. Black is sure she has not had to heat the water nearly as much to keep the water for Luna's bath hot. And I agree, she does not seem to be as cold. And I swear I felt her twitch when we all laughed at a joke Tracey made."

"Where is Dad Granger?" Robyn asked, looking for her husband. She wasn't nearly as clingy as she had been, but she still wanted to know where Evan was at all times.

"Astoria has asked for a turn to help keep Luna warm in bed, and Daddy is sitting with the both of them, reading from my old favorite book of fairy tales. Astoria is currently being sucked into the world of Hans Christian Anderson and the Ugly Duckling."

"When do you think Bill will get back, Hermione?" Harry asked. "I want his take on what Aunt Longs said about what I need to do at the trial tomorrow."

"He, Blaise and Uncle Snape, are visiting Daphne, but I expect them back at any time, Harry."

The clan had decided that 'Potions Master' had become too formal and had nominated several names that showed that the feared ex-potions instructor, was more than just an employee. Uncle Severus had been shot down by the man as ridiculous, while Mum and Dad Granger had shot down just the use of the adult's first name. Narcissa had recommend the compromise that seemed to be gaining favor the more it was used.

Mum and Dad Granger continued to maintain that the clan was mostly children, and they needed to offer some respect to the adults. There was even some talk about pinning some kind of title to Amantha and Thomas since they were still very frequent visitors. They couldn't use the old job titles of Auror, as both were no longer working as such.

Thomas had received a medical discharge, and had then surprised the clan when he announced he would be taking up the duties as the head of one of the lesser known families. Amantha was officially wearing Thomas' ring and could be heard complaining that she didn't know anything about being the wife of a head of family. She usually was smiling though whenever she mentioned the word wife, so no one was too worried about the two of them.

Blaise entered the room to interrupt Hermione's abridged telling of the Ugly Duckling to Tracey to announce that they were back and had brought a surprise, followed quickly by Severus and Bill supporting a wan, but standing Daphne.

Mum Granger promptly sent Blaise to send Astoria and Dad Granger back down as she got up and started fussing about their returned lamb.

– – (()) – –

It wouldn't be until after dinner that Harry was able to meet with his brain trust while Luna was sick.

Mum and Dad Granger were there to offer support, but knew that they did not know anything about the magical legal system or laws. Uncle Snape, Miss Black, and Bill were the primary contributors to any law discussion.

"Harry, I think I figured out what Dumbledore is planning," Bill announced after the general sharing of the small improvements in Luna's condition, and the special care Daphne would be needing for the next several days as she finished her convalescence.

"Great, what is it?"

"Remember, Aunt Longs mentioned that Dumbledore would be trying to invalidate your ability to press charges; I found a law where a murderer can't charge a Chief Warlock."

"Murderer? Harry isn't a murderer!" Robyn exclaimed.

"Harry is a confirmed killer, Mum Granger. How many has he killed in the last several months? We know he isn't a murderer, but with that many people killed, Dumbledore will be pushing that at least once it was not in self defense. If he can convince the Wizengamot that Harry didn't just kill the Death Eaters, then Harry can't bring charges against the Chief Warlock. And Dumbledore was the Chief Warlock at the time of his crime."

"Darn that girl!"

"Harry!"

"Luna has been planning for something like this all along. She told me on several occasions that I need to be able to swear that the only people I killed had wands in their hand and were casting, cursing or torturing. That was why I couldn't help kill Malfoy. He was stunned at the time. It might have been nice for her to tell me."

"I don't think she could, Harry," Hermione interjected. "The times I spent talking to Luna, she seemed confused about that requirement. She knew it was important, but not why."

"Back to the trial tomorrow." Evan brought the meeting back on track. "How will this help Harry?"

"Harry is not accused of any crimes, so Dumbledore will want to require Harry to take Veritaserum to prove his right to bring charges, since it is so unlikely that Harry hasn't murdered at least once.

Dumbledore has refused to take any Veritaserum himself; both because it is bad for a man his age and because he is claiming that, as Chief Warlock, he has some secrets that need to remain secret.

I think Aunt Longs wants Harry to require Dumbledore to agree to Veritaserum if Harry agrees to Veritaserum. I think Dumbledore will agree since he thinks as soon as Harry admits to murder, the charges will be dismissed, since as a murderer Harry can't bring charges against the Chief Warlock."

"No matter what you think of him, he is able to plan for contingencies," Severus added.

"That gives us a plan, and now I need to take a very hot bath before trying to sleep next to the ice cube that Luna has become," Harry decided.

"I think that all the heat we are feeding her is helping, Harry. She is up to a cold shower from ice cube," Hermione teased her friend.

"I'll take the improvement, but I still want to be very warm when I get into bed..."


	25. Chapter 24: Morning and Trial

**Chapter 24: Morning and Trial**

**A/N:**

This is the last full chapter of Help of a Seer, tomorrow I hope to post the epilogue. I hope you enjoyed my tale.

**Luna wakes up**

Luna knew something was different, she no longer felt so cold. That first Dementor had sucked not just the joy from her but it had actually seemed to be feeding off of the heat of her body even while outside her cell. And then a second of the unholy demons had joined the first, and then a third, and after that Luna could not be sure of what was real and what were the nightmares, until there was nothing left of the person known as Luna Lovegood.

Yet here she was starting to think again, starting to feel. She would not start to hope yet, it would hurt too much when that was taken away from her again.

– – (()) – –

Harry woke when his love twitched hard. And she was moaning! As sad as the sound was, it was the first noise she had made since she had been pulled from Azkaban. Since Luna was fighting the covers, Harry untangled the two of them from the several blankets and rolled Luna over so she was facing him, only to be started by the sight of a single tear tracing its way down her face.

– – (()) – –

It changed again. Something had changed, Luna was sure of it. She could be dead she supposed, but her core was still cold, and she didn't believe that would be the case if she had finally died.

If she imagined really hard, she could almost believe she was in Harry's arms again... And with that thought, Luna tensed up, sure that it would be sucked from her in seconds. But the thought stayed, and with that thought her core actually warmed a bit.

With the thought of being in Harry's arms came the memories of their shared times: Harry becoming stupid when exposed to Luna's unremarkable body; Harry thanking her for saving him from the Dursleys; Harry studying about the dismissals from a book he was sure would fall apart if he even looked at it cross-eyed; Harry's confession after Hermione had hurt him. That was a special memory, and Luna was sure it would be sucked up right away, but it stayed, and a ray of hope started to warm her core. She couldn't help it, thoughts of Harry did that to her.

And with Harry came thoughts of others in her clan: Daphne's feelings of being a thumb; Tracey and Blaise's inability to keep their hands off of each other; Hermione's willingness to help when she first arrived at the Reserve; Mum and Dad Granger, struggling to hold her small clan together in spite the odds. Mum and Dad Granger, two people that had learned to love her just the way she was...

– – (()) – –

A second tear appeared and slipped down Luna's face, but she wasn't sobbing or crying in fear, a half smile now graced Luna's face. Emboldened by her actions, Harry kissed Luna's forehead, and whispered for her to come back to him.

– – (()) – –

Luna could almost hear her Harry calling to her. Her Harry. If she opened her eyes, she could almost believe she would see her Harry.

– – (()) – –

Luna's eyelids fluttered, and half opened. It took several seconds for them to start working correctly, and a vision of green eyes and black hair stared hungrily back at her. Glancing away for a second, Luna took in the furnishings of her room at the Reserve. It was not just an empty hope! Luna looked back at her Harry, and smiled. "You rescued me," she choked out.

"I hope you don't mind too much, I wasn't willing to live the rest of my life without you."

Luna smiled and gave a half of a giggle and tried to settle into her Harry.

"Weak," she finally managed to say.

"And likely starving, would you like some water or something?"

"Not yet, just you."

"Well, you will get me for a long time to come. But who am I to complain if you want to spend some time listening to me snore."

Some things just do not change much. For all that Harry was a hero, he still could not time his jokes, Luna thought to herself.

Harry resettled her against him and they cuddled while he brought her up to date on the happenings of her clan.

"What?" Luna had to ask. "What did you say?"

"I said that to get you out of that place I had to marry you by proxy," Harry explained softly. "I'm a bit worried about how you are going to take that little bit, but it was the only way to bypass all the red tape Dumbledore had put around the prison."

"So I'm Mrs. Potter?"

"You are."

"Won't need a dress then."

"You aren't upset with me are you, Luna?"

"Don't think so. Tell you later."

– – (()) – –

Robyn put a plate of breakfast in front of her husband, and sat down beside him while he, Narcissa and Severus ate only to be roused from her thoughts when Severus choked.

"What's wrong...?" Robyn's query died on her lips as Harry came into the room holding Luna in is arms: an awake Luna in his arms.

"Mrs. Potter woke up sometime around four this morning, and decided she wanted some breakfast and the company of others beside myself," Harry exclaimed with a flourish while hooking a chair leg with his foot and then seating himself with Luna on his lap.

"What would you like, Luna?" A surprised Robyn asked while Luna frowned at Harry.

"Water, first," Luna choked out. "Then soup."

"I'll get some soup started," Robyn said getting up and slipping around the table. "But first..." Robyn hugged them both and kissed Luna's forehead. "Welcome back, Mrs. Potter, and please don't worry us like that again."

"Harry, do we need to try and postpone the trial today?" Severus asked.

"No. As much as I would rather stay here today, I need to be at Dumbledore's trial today. Too many things are hinging on the timing of the trials. With Luna waking up, I might not take quite as many of the clan with me so someone can help Luna get around. I really shouldn't have brought her downstairs as weak as she is, but she asked and I never have been able to tell her no."

"Luna!" Daphne's voice interrupted them as she hobbled into the kitchen while leaning on Astoria's shoulder. "Luna, they told me you were comatose."

"She was, Daphne, but Luna woke up this morning around four," Harry answered while Luna looked over to Daphne and beamed a bright smile before turning back to Harry and laying her head on his shoulder.

Harry smiled down at his lady, and looked back towards Daphne. "I think Luna is very happy her clan is here around her."

"We are happy the clan head has decided to wake up from her nap," Hermione said as she also entered the room.

"Luna, I need to get ready for the trial today, do you want me to take you back upstairs, or do you want to stay down here?"

"Down."

"Good enough, I'm sure you will be cosseted and fussed over... Love you."

– – (()) – –

"So, Harry: Hermione, Bill, Blaise and Uncle Snape will be going with you today. Tracey, Astoria, Dad Granger and I will stay and spoil our two convalescents. If you don't want to announce that Luna is awake, you can always say we are just dealing with a cranky Daphne." Robyn summarized the results of a meeting that took place while Harry was in the shower and changing. "They are all getting ready and should be back in a minute or so."

"I didn't expect that many..." Harry a confused said. "Not with Luna awake now."

"Well, really we all wanted to go, and if Luna had not rejoined the world this morning, it is likely that Hermione and I would've been the only ones to stay as Daphne had indicated she had every intention of going in support of you. She is willing to be the excuse for several of us not going, however."

"Thank you, Mum Granger."

"We expect that Thomas and Amantha will be in the courtroom, as will Susan and Hannah. Madam Bones, Madam Longbottom, Neville and Ms. Black will also all be attending, but as members of the Wizengamot. So you will not be alone, not at all."

"Although we fully expect Dumbledore to request a one member, one vote rule in order to nullify our majority via proxy," Narcissa said as he joined Harry and Robyn. "Good, I see you have dressed according to your station. That could be important today."

"Uncle Snape strongly suggested it, Miss. Black. And while he doesn't frighten me as much as he used to, I don't plan on just disobeying him when he gives that kind of advice either."

"I'm not sure I will ever get used to being called 'Uncle anything'," Severus said as he joined the group as well.

"We could always go back to 'Uncle Severus', sir," Hermione quipped, as she and Bill joined them.

"You look amazing, Hermione, where did you get those robes?" Harry had to ask as he saw his friend.

"They are Daphne's, although we did modify the colors and size a bit to match me better."

"You two did a good job," Severus said while looking over the dress robes. "And since Blaise has joined us, let's go."

**Pretrial**

"Harry, Madam Bones has some advice she wanted me to pass along," Arthur Weasley said as he drew near the newly arrived group. "Dumbledore is calling your ability to charge the Chief Warlock into question, and is going to demand you answer some questions while under the influence of Veritaserum."

Harry glanced over to Bill and smiled before returning his attention to Arthur. "We were guessing that the senile man would try something like that. What is Madam Bones' advice?"

"Request a buffer, and allow only one person to ask the questions. Since you have not been charged with any crimes, it is your right."

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley, that is a good idea. Bill, would you be willing to be my contact?"

"I can if you wish, Harry."

"Good, now I don't plan to just let Dumbledore give me some Veritaserum, I am going to want some concessions from him as well. So let's proceed."

"Harry, you're looking good this morning." Neville came up and stopped a few feet away. "I have been asked to discover if there has been any change in Luna's condition. Susan and Hannah are in the gallery with some of our other friends from Hogwarts, and they charged me with finding out."

"Morning, Neville, you can tell Susan and Hannah that there have been some positive signs, and we are all more hopeful as of this morning."

"That is good news, Mr. Longbottom, and I can't fault your seeking that information, but you need to take your seat now," Octavius Peppers said from behind the group.

"Mr. Potter, the defendant is calling into question your right to charge him as he held the office of Chief Warlock at the time of his alleged crime."

"We expected something like that, Minister, but I am going to want something in return before I let anyone ask me questions while I am under the influence of Veritaserum. So Mr. Dumbledore will need to formally make his request before the entire Wizengamot while it is in session."

"There is not much you can demand, Mr. Potter."

"Have I been actually charged with a crime?"

"No, and you won't be for any of the actions you undertook this summer."

"Then I can demand he agree to take Veritaserum if I do."

Octavius blinked at that, and smiled. "Yes, you can make that demand, although I don't see why that will help, he will refuse afterwards."

"I'm counting on it, sir."

"Mr. Dumbledore is also requesting a one person, one vote rule for the duration of this trial. Do you object to that?"

"I won't, but again I want it requested during the session, so it is a part of the record of the trial."

"I can make it a part of the record without taking the time to do that, Mr. Potter."

"Very well, I won't fight that."

"Excellent. Could you pass on message to Mr. and Mrs. Granger for me?"

"Yes, sir, or you can speak to their daughter Hermione."

"She is here?"

"Yes, several of my friends are with me today."

"Then let me get that taken care of and then we can start the official proceedings."

**The trial of Albus Dumbledore**

"This special session of the Wizengamot is called to order for the purpose of holding trial against our Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore. The Chief Warlock has been accused of crimes against Mrs. Luna Potter, wife of Harry James Potter. To wit, that Albus Dumbledore did falsely imprison Mrs. Potter at the prison of Azkaban where she suffered grievous harm due exposure to the Dementor guards.

Both parties have agreed that a one-person-one-vote is in effect during this trial.

Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore, how do you plead to these charges?"

"Minister, I offer no plea as the charges against me have been improperly filed." Albus' voice was firm.

"Why do you feel these charges have been brought improperly, Mr. Dumbledore?"

"As the Chief Warlock, I cannot be charged by a killer, and Mr. Potter has killed several times."

There was a murmuring of voices after Albus finished.

"Objection, sir," Harry called out. "As I understand the law in question, the Chief Warlock cannot be charged by a murderer. There have been occasions when Aurors or Unspeakables have charged a Chief Warlock, and they are often required to kill in the line of their duties."

"Mr. Dumbledore, Mr. Potter is correct, the law says Murderer, not Killer. Are you accusing Mr. Potter of murder?"

"I would ask that Mr. Potter be questioned to prove he has not murdered."

"Mr. Potter, what is your response?

"I swear that I have not committed murder, Minister."

"Mr. Dumbledore, do you accept Mr. Potter's word?"

"I do not, Minister. I would like Mr. Potter to be questioned while under the influence of Veritaserum."

The murmurs grew louder. The magical people in the gallery were not pleased that their savior was being accused of murder, and that his word was not enough.

"Minister, I feel that if I am to be so questioned then Mr. Dumbledore will need to be willing to be questioned in the same manner. I would also request there be a buffer between myself and the rest of the courtroom with only that person being allowed to ask me questions."

"Mr. Dumbledore, do you agree that you will submit to the same type of questioning that Mr. Potter will be facing?"

"I so promise, Minister."

This was it; this was what Harry was hoping for.

"That is not good enough, Mr. Dumbledore. It seems you are unwilling to accept my word, so it should not be considered strange that I will not accept yours. I will demand an unbreakable wizard's oath from you that, if called, you will agree to being questioned about these charges while under the influence of Veritaserum."

The court room was shocked into silence, and Albus' face paled. No wonder Harry had wanted this to come out while the Wizengamot was in session. Albus had doubted Harry's word, so Harry did not have to take his.

"Mr. Dumbledore," Octavius finally got the ball rolling again, "Mr. Potter has brought up a valid concern. If you wish to have him questioned you will need to swear a wizards oath to allow yourself to be so questioned as well. Mr. Potter did specify it was only for these charges."

"I...I...I'm not sure, Minister, I mean how would I swear to the Wizengamot?"

"I would demand you swear your oath to me, Mr. Dumbledore, as I don't trust you to comply with oaths given to any others," Harry interrupted.

"Harry..."

"Minister, I do not wish to be addressed so informally by Mr. Dumbledore."

"Agreed. Mr. Dumbledore, you will apologize and use Mr. Potter's correct address."

"Yes, Minister." Albus bowed his head and looked up. "I apologize, and I will swear the oath."

"Minister?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"I have the wording I want for the oath here."

Albus looked sharply at Harry. It seemed that Harry had been planning for this all along; he would need to check the working of the oath carefully.

"Please give your wording to the Master-at-arms, and he will bring it to me."

"Yes, sir."

After reviewing the words carefully, Octavius handed the paper back to the Master-at-arms saying, "Please give this to Mr. Dumbledore. I see no differences between what Mr. Potter was asking for and this oath, but Mr. Dumbledore must agree to this wording as well."

Receiving the paper, Albus started going over the document and then went over it again more closely. There was nothing that he could see that would trick him, and it was worded such that when Harry's charges were disallowed, he would not still be required to take the Veritaserum.

"I can agree to this wording, Minister."

"Very well, do you also agree that Mr. Potter will be buffered from the courtroom and will only answer approved questions from a single source? If you agree, then you will then be allowed the same courtesy."

"I do agree to that, Minister."

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Dumbledore, please approach each other and the Master-at-arms. He will bond your oath."

Once ready and with the paper levitated in front of him so could read from it, Albus said his oath.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, swear on my magic, that if called to answer questions before the Wizengamot concerning the charge of false imprisonment of Mrs. Potter, I will allow myself to be questioned under the influence of Veritaserum. So mote it be."

Albus could not be sure, but he thought he heard Harry say "Got you" as they turned to return to their seats. "No, I got you instead," Albus whispered right back.

After requesting that William Weasley act as Harry's buffer, Harry was soon seated in the witness chair and a muffling spell was put around him. He would be able to understand questions only from Bill.

After the required three drops, the questioning started, with Bill asking the required leading question.

"Who are you?"

"Harry James Potter."

"Are you in fact married to Luna Lovegood?"

"I am married to Luna, and she is Luna Potter now."

That answer surprised Albus as he was sure Harry had been bluffing about being married.

"How many people have you murdered?"

"No one."

"But surely you have killed."

"I have killed many, but I have not murdered anyone."

Albus was sure that was not really correct. And he had received some intelligence about a death that happened earlier this summer.

"What was the last spell you cast at Draco Malfoy?"

"A stunner."

"What!" Albus was sure that wasn't correct, but Bill looked up at the Minister who indicated Harry was not to be asked that question.

"But who killed Malfoy then?"

Bill looked up that the Minister again, and filed a complaint. "That question has nothing to do with the questioning Harry agreed to, sir."

"I must agree, Mr. Weasley, do not ask, Mr. Potter that question. Mr. Dumbledore, do you have any other questions to ask."

A shaken Dumbledore nodded and started a different line of questioning. If Harry hadn't actually murdered...

"So all of the people you killed were fighting back?"

"They were all Death Eaters and they were fighting back, or torturing someone or raping someone."

"So you haven't killed a suspected Death Eater while he was just walking?"

"No, I have only killed while in a combat situation."

Albus dropped his head in defeat. He was sure Harry had been the one to kill Draco.

"No more questions, Minister."

"Very well, Mr. Potter will be given the antidote. I am ruling that, as Mr. Potter is not a murderer, he may bring charges against you as Chief Warlock. There will be a fifteen minute delay while we wait for the antidote to work."

"May I request a recess, Minister?" Albus asked.

"You may ask, but I am not granting it. The start of this trial has been delayed long enough as it is."

– – (()) – –

Harry was back and ready for the main show well within the fifteen minutes he had been granted, which allowed the Minister to start the trial over.

"I find no reason why Mr. Potter cannot file charges against the Chief Warlock, and so the charges continue to stand.

Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore, how do you plead to these charges?"

"Not guilty. I have been charged with false imprisonment, but as the Chief Warlock I am empowered to hold citizens for questioning." Albus knew this was really a thin argument, but it was the only one remaining to him.

"Minister, I must disagree, while the Chief Warlock may request someone be detained, the office does not actually grant him the right to do the detaining. And it does not come close to allowing that the detained are sent to Azkaban." Harry took a breath and set his hook. "Minister I request Mr. Dumbledore be questioned under the influence of Veritaserum, I wish to show he was fully aware his activities were illegal."

Albus blanched, he was caught, with his only hope now being a delaying tactic.

"I feel I do not need to answer such questions, Minister."

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I call on you to be questioned before the Wizengamot concerning the charge of false imprisonment of Mrs. Potter," Harry intoned.

'What is he up to?' Albus thought furiously.

"I would rather we have the safer version of the Veritaserum, Harry."

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I call on you to be questioned before the Wizengamot concerning the charge of false imprisonment of Mrs. Potter," Harry intoned again, his face solemn.

Albus squirmed in his chair; this was not something he had planned for.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I call on you to be questioned before the Wizengamot concerning the charge of false imprisonment of Mrs. Potter," Harry intoned yet again, his face no longer so serious, rather a large smile was playing across Harry's lips. And a look that reminded Albus of Harry's father, James, when a prank was about land on someone's lap.

"Tomorrow, Harry," Albus pleaded.

Harry looked at his watch, "It is before three, and I want this done today."

Harry then looked back at Albus with a smile of victory.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I label you an oath breaker. Three times I have called and three times you have failed to perform as you swore. And as an oath breaker I call on the magic of your oath to punish you."

"Harry...NO!" Albus panicked.

"So...Mote...It...Be!"

"AHHHHHHHGGGGG!"

– – (()) – –

"Mr. Potter, you do realize you are in trouble, don't you?"

"Yes, Minister, however, I am perfectly willing to drop my charges against the_ squib_ named Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore, a squib! Merlin!"

"He swore on his magic and failed to live up to his oath... poof, no more magic."

"As a squib, we cannot send him to Azkaban, so the charges of abuse of his authority are likely going to be dropped as well... Mr. Potter, your smile is way too big."

"A squib, however, is still allowed a vault, and the trial with the goblins will be next week. By then the safer version of the Veritaserum will be ready, and as a squib, the ex-headmaster will learn that he has next to no rights. He will be forced to take the Veritaserum and has no say about it. And we can ask any questions we want to while he is under the influence of the drug. Oh, and guess what? The law that allows that was passed by our ex-Chief Warlock Dumbledore."

"Mr. Potter, are there any others you wish to destroy so thoroughly?"

"Until Luna was taken, I didn't wish to destroy Dumbledore, just de-claw him, and remove his influence from my life."

"Good, I do not want to have any other sessions like this one again. The charges being dropped because the defendant can no longer spend time in prison, I declare this session closed."

– – (()) – –

Luna found her husband out by the seeing tree, and collapsed beside him. She was still too weak to really be on her own, but Harry had been too quiet since he had gotten back from that last trial of Albus Dumbledore for the theft from Harry's Trust Vault. Bill and Hermione had been happy with the results, but Uncle Snape and Harry hadn't even made it to the dinner table.

"What is it, Harry?" Luna asked as she burrowed into Harry's side, both for the warmth she craved, and to support her man.

"Dumbledore is sick, Luna," Harry answered. "He had plans to start teaching someone how to guide the world to his Greater Good. He wanted it to be me, between assuming that I would die at Tom's hand because of my scar and thinking I would live. But his Greater Good isn't good at all. And, Luna, the whole reason he kidnapped you was so he could have a seer help him achieve his Greater Good. And with you forced to help him, he could have done it."

"A seer can't be forced to lead like that, Harry." Luna tried to soothe her man. "We see so many different paths that it is impossible to force us to pick just one path and follow it."

"I'm not talking about any seer, Luna, I'm talking about you!"

"From that first evening, I would have been useless to him, Harry. The Dementors fed well on me that first night."

Harry shuddered in concert with Luna's own involuntary shudder.

"What will happen to him now, Harry?"

"The Minister has confined him to St Mungo's for a while, then he will be sent to a non-magical old folks' home to live out the last of his days as someone thought to have gone mad from old age.

There is enough money in his vault to pay back my Trust Vault as well as pay to set up his full time care in a facility that will not let him leave the premises. His retirement from Hogwarts will cover his monthly expenses.

The Daily Prophet will be publishing the highlights of his plan as the Minister wants to use the information to help push through some reforms he and the non-magical government have decided on."

"The Minister is still working with the non-magical government?"

"Very closely. They had some plans to intervene before he approached them. Some of the knowledge he came back with scared him. The way they were able to eliminate those teams from France just cemented that feeling. He is sure the statute of secrecy can be maintained while still being more open with the government."

"Good," Luna decided. "Harry, you were missing from dinner, so you missed the announcement from Mum and Dad Granger."

"Hhmm?"

"Harry, would you like to become a non-magical teacher?"


	26. Epilogue:

**Epilogue:**

**A/N:**

I had a couple reviews ask if Dumbledore fell for Harry's trap too easily. In my opinion, Dumbledore likes to think his options through and take time to plan his moves. But he is not as good at thinking on his feet. Dumbledore did ask for a recess, but did not get it. If he had been given more time, I think he would have twigged to the danger, but Harry basically called on him three times very quickly. I am thinking less than two minutes from the time Harry started to the time before Harry started to label Dumbledore an oath breaker. Harry didn't give Dumbledore time to think and plan.

**Some Years Later:**

Luna Potter looked up from her painting and smiled. Harry had entered the conservatory wearing a business suit.

"Another one?" Luna asked, all the while knowing that there was only one reason Harry would be home this early and wearing a suit.

"Yes, the Ministry just let me know, they found traces of some accidental magic from a little girl in London."

"Let me get changed then, counselor Potter."

"I personally think you could go exactly as you are, but we know I'm somewhat biased in your favor," Harry teased.

Luna looked down at her paint splattered smock towards where she believed her slipper covered feet were located and smirked. "I thought we were trying to make a good impression. Mum and Dad Granger would not be pleased if we chased their potential new student away. It is a good thing this happened now. Next month, I will achieve the size of a large whale."

"Twins will do that I'm told." Harry smiled at the thought of the twins he and Luna were expecting.

Harry helped her up and supported her through the house to their bedroom, where two house elves stood ready to help their oversized mistress into a more appropriate set of clothing for meeting a non-magical family.

"Have Mum and Dad Granger said anything about how they are going to handle next year? Hermione is expecting now as well you know," Luna asked while she was being transformed.

"They have talked Aunt Cissa and Uncle Snape into helping for the year."

"What! Snape teaching again? He has refused to even come close to a classroom for years."

"He isn't going to be teaching potions, Luna; he is going to be teaching the tadpoles you would normally be teaching," Harry explained, pleased he had surprised his wife this way.

Luna looked closely at Harry's face and convinced he was not having her on, Luna's brain froze trying to comprehend Severus Snape teaching students how to read, write, and do sums.

"I knew he had finished that degree, but..."

"Aunt Cissa will be teaching potions for Hermione, and I have been asked to create an alternating schedule with Bill, so we both won't be away from the school at the same time."

"Which will leave Dad and Mum Granger the time they want to play with the babies."

"Well, your clan is doing its part to repopulate the magical world: Thomas and Amantha's first will be joining the tadpoles, and Blaise and Tracey's youngest will be joining the nursery for the first time this year. Oh and I heard a rumor that a certain red-head has started dating someone we know."

Luna smiled and Harry felt a shiver of fear. "You aren't seeing, are you?"

"What? No, as I've said, I'm no longer a seer; I was remembering one of my past visions. I really did think Charlie and Daphne would go well together. I'm glad he grew up some and that he survived the hexes Daphne likely cast at him when he showed up on her doorstep."

"As I understand it, Bill and Hermione arranged for them to meet in public the first time so the number of hexes Daphne could cast was limited," Harry smirked.

"But the person Charlie is dating is not Daphne, it's Tonks. Daphne seems content to have the same kind of relationship with Hermione and Bill that Hannah has with Susan and Neville. Arthur has given his consent and Daphne will be taking the Prewett name."

"Will Arthur ever marry Amelia?" Luna asked.

"Oh, he has asked several times, but Madam Bones does not want to become just Mrs. Weasley, so the two of them continue to just live together at Hogwarts."

– – (()) – –

"Do you have any questions, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor?" Harry asked after the normal casting of some simple spells to prove that the magic their little girl had performed was both real and controllable.

This was the type of meeting that Harry loved. The parents were worried about their little girl, but they also cared for her greatly and were not going to turn their backs on her.

"What can you tell us about this school you mentioned?" Mrs. Taylor started the ball rolling while continuing to hold England's newest confirmed muggle-born witch. "We can't afford a boarding school, and I don't want Jenny to be away from home so long."

"Grangers has some boarders, it is true, but most of the students return home every evening," Harry explained while Luna just beamed at the family she was seeing.

"Grangers?"

"It started out being called the 'Granger's School for First Generation Magicals', but we all just call it Grangers now. And it won't cost you anything. This school is funded jointly by the Ministry of Magic and the non-magical government."

"I thought you said earlier that Magic was a super secret or some such," Mr. Taylor chimed in, looking up from the notes he had been taking.

"I did say something like that, and when I was your little Jenny's age there was no one and nothing to help me when I first did some very impossible things. But we are getting better," Harry answered. "Some children were and are treated very harshly by parents that couldn't understand, or a child could be treated even worse by an orphanage. Some years ago, there was a civil war in the hidden magical world, caused by one such orphan. Enough people saw what was happening that steps were taken to prevent such a thing from happening again. Grangers is one of those steps. The children born into magical families now must attend classes about non-magical things when before anything that wasn't magical would be discounted. That is another of the steps."

Luna sighed and joined the conversation. "I've been told that the government political sociologists have been fascinated by our world, and the changes we are making."

"I'm not going to lie and say your little girl will be the equivalent of our Prime Minister someday. There are no laws to prevent it, but those sociologists don't think our world will be ready for that yet. But they are saying that thanks to the progress we are making your little girl's little girl might be."

"Likely one of the biggest changes I've seen is that Grangers is more than a school." Harry took up the conversation again, his eyes almost glowing with the enthusiasm he felt for the subject. "The founders were parents, just like you, that had their little girl disappear into the hidden magical world. They have sworn not to let that happen again, if they can help it. You will be welcomed, and will be even encouraged to visit the school. There are support groups where you can meet with other parents that are dealing with the same kinds of issues you are. There will be field trips into the pure magical world that you will be encouraged to attend with your daughter."

"And don't think we will be ignoring your daughter's education. To teach at Grangers you need to get what amounts to a degree in both the magical and the non-magical world. We can't really teach children younger than eleven the true casting of magic because they aren't ready for it until then, so we continue teaching maths and sciences, with a sprinkling of magical subjects like potions, and we teach the children how to better control their growing gifts."

"Once Jenny reaches the age of eleven, she will be given an invite to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That is a boarding school, and is considered one of the finest teaching institutions in the magical world right now. During the summers, Jenny could continue to learn her non-magical subjects at a satellite school some of Granger's graduates have started. She won't be quite ready for a higher education when she leaves Hogwarts, but it would only take a year to bring her up to snuff."

"You teach there?" Mr. Taylor asked, his notes forgotten by the zeal of Harry's presentation.

"I do, although I am mostly an administrator now. Luna, would normally be teaching as well, but she will be taking at least a year off to be a mother."

"You do look like you could give birth in our dining room," Mr. Taylor said to Luna.

"Not quite, Harry and I are having twins; I've more than a month to go before I'll be able to see my toes again. And while I will miss a year, I'm already missing the teaching I was doing, so I'm pretty sure I'll be teaching the tadpoles again soon. Maybe even in time to teach your Jenny some before she moves up to the newts."

"And just so there is no confusion," Harry felt moved to say, "tadpoles and newts are Luna's terms, they are not officially sanctioned by Grangers. Although to be honest, I think I've heard every instructor there use the terms."

"It sounds nearly perfect," Mrs. Taylor said.

"I could wish it was perfect, Mrs. Taylor," Harry sighed. "It isn't perfect, there will still be some biased people that may belittle Jenny both for being a witch, and for not having a wizard and witch as parents. But it is getting better. It is getting much better. Enough of our friends who also went through that civil war are people in important positions now. The changes needed to make to the world better are in place, now we just need for the people to catch up so the changes feel like they aren't changes, but the way it should be."

"I'll help," little Jenny piped up. "I can help make it all be good."

**The End**

**A/N:**

And thus ends my story, Help of a Seer. As with all my work, a major thank you to NettieT for acting as my beta and sounding board. I also want to thank Annihilis and his family for acting as pre-readers and helping pointing out the errors of my way.

What did I learn from this one? It is better to triple check your references. I made a mistake while reading the Black family tree when I named Neville as the head of the Black Family... And when several irate readers pointed it out, it was too late to fix. I had finished writing this tale and chapters 1-5 were back from final beta before I started posting.

What happens next? I have the start of no less than three shorter things and one longer tale. In other words I have too many things going at once. How long will it take to finish one or more of those tales? I don't know. But I hope I can get a couple of those shorter things out while working the my new longer work, named Kidnapped.

Thanks to all of you that took the time to read this tale, and a special thanks to you that reviewed.

**References from all of the chapters, relisted:**

The description of the inside of the fairy mound is based on Pellucidar as created by Edgar Rice Burroughs (http : / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Pellucidar_)._

The Horcrux definition came from the HP Lexicon; they credit it as being from a notebook from JKR.

'Dismissals' as a type of magic comes from a book by Brian Daley. "Starfollowers of Coramonde" (first printing 1979) which is a second book of a duology. The first was Doomfarers of Coramonde" (first printing 1977). I have expanded the concept of dismissals to fit my requirements.

The Great Forest or Wood idea comes from "Hexwood" by Diana Wynne Jones (first printing 1993).

Some of the Druid 'powers' came from the TV show "Hercules the Legendary Journeys", the episode titled "Resurrection", which first aired in 1998.

The _Flipendo_ spell came from the HP Lexicon and is listed as being used in the Harry Potter video games.

I found the information about the 'cap and ball' pistols at the following:  
http: / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Colt_Army_Model_1860  
http : / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Remington_Model_1858

The Carpe Retractum spell was listed as being a part of a Harry Potter video game by the HP Lexicon _Pulls objects toward the caster, or vice versa._

Harris Hawk in England:  
http : / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Harris's_Hawk  
"Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity."

http : / www . peregrinefund . org / explore_raptors / hawks /  
"Since about 1980, Harris's Hawks have been increasingly used in falconry and are now the most popular hawks in the West (outside of Asia) for that purpose, as they are the easiest to train and the most social."

http : / news . bbc . bo . uk / 2 / hi / uk_news / england / devon  
"Harris hawks are being used to deal with the growing seagull problem at a Devon shopping centre."

Group hunting  
http : / www . youtube . com / watch ?v=Ai3eVjr0Pzg

Christopher Fry:  
The Lady's Not for Burning (written in 1948).

Shakespeare:  
A Midsummer Night's Dream,  
Taming of the Shrew,  
Much Ado About Nothing  
A Winter's Tale.

Barrett M82 .50cal Rifle  
http : / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Barrett_M82

AW50 (Accuracy International Rifle) anti-material weapon  
http: / www . eliteukforces . Info / special-air-service / weapons / aw-50 . php  
http: / www . armusa . Com / AccuracyInterRifles . htm

Note: The AW50 .5 inch rifle did not start production until 1998, and so was not a part of the British military at the time of this story. It is mentioned as a prototype in story. On the other hand, the US military purchased some of the Barretts in 1990, and so it was in use by the US armed forces during this tale.

I also found a reference that the M79 Grenade Launcher was used in the Falklands war by the British army (http: / .org/ wiki/ British_ground_forces_in_the_Falklands_War #Infantry_weapons ).


End file.
